Psoriatic Arthrtis and Coronary Artery Disease

Project Information

PACAD

Grant agreement ID: 277203

Project closed

Start date 1 December 2011

End date 30 June 2015

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 89 583,33

EU contribution € 89 583,33

Coordinated by

LANDSPITALI UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Iceland

Final Report Summary - PACAD (Psoriatic Arthrtis and Coronary Artery Disease)

Psoriatic arthritis is a multi-system auto-immune disease that affects approximately 0.15% of the
adult European population. PACAD is a study that aims to investigate potential links between
psoriatic arthritis and coronary artery disease. The project has received funding from the EU FP7
Marie Curie People program and is scheduled to complete in 2015. The project is currently on
schedule with regards to data collection and analysis, and publication of results should be completed
in 2016. The host institution will continue to support work on the project after the grant completion
date.

The objectives of the project involved using existing data sets in Iceland to compare the risk of
cardiovascular disease in the general population to that seen among patients with psoriatic arthritis.
The first objective was to understand the crude difference in cardiovascular disease between these
groups. The second objective was to compare the risk factors profiles of these two groups. The third
objective was to extract further information on cardiovascular risk factors from medical records.
Information on risk factors for cardiovascular disease was more readily available in medical records
than expected, and simpler methods than proposed could be used to extract more information than
projected. This has allowed for a more detailed analysis, where objective two is merged in part with
objective one to allow a fully adjusted model of cardiovascular disease in a nested study within
objective one.

The main result published from PACAD so far is that patients with PsA do not have a shortened
lifespan compared to that seen in the general population. The fellow from the PACAD project has
participated in a study of the British general population, which confirmed these results from PACAD.
As soon as the analysis of cardiovascular risk factor and outcome data in PACAD is complete the
results will be published as well.

The impact of the final results will involve a better understanding of the comorbidities of PsA which
will in turn inform physicians about how to best care for these patients. The results will therefore
have a direct impact on society through the planning and provision of medical care in the European
Union.