Clinical and demographic characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients included in the study, stratified by gender or by Cardiovascular events.

Except where indicated otherwise, values are n (%). IQR: Interquartile Range. Anti-CCP: anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide antibodies.*A patient was considered to have a cerebrovascular accident when he/she had a stroke and/or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Strokes were classified according to their clinical features and they were confirmed by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. TIAs were diagnosed if the symptoms were self-limited in less than 24 hours, without residual neurological damage [41].**Smoking habit encompassed to those patients who smoked at the time of disease diagnosis, during the follow-up or who had smoked within the 10 years before the onset of RA symptoms or the disease diagnosis.