Another way to evaluate the role of inflammation as a risk factor for stroke is to examine the incidence of vascular dis- ease in people with systemic chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and SLE. A large number of prospective cohort studies have identified increased risks for CVD (including stroke) in people with RA, with ORs consis- tently in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 compared with people without At least 50% of premature deaths in patients with RA have been attributed to CVDs.851 Excess risk was especially apparent in 35- to 55-year-old women with RA.846 This asso- ciation remained after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, data from the Danish Nationwide Cohort Study indicate that RA increases the rates of bothAF (incidence rate ratio, 1.42) and stroke (1.32),852 but a causal relationship between AF and stroke in RA has not been established. 