Table 2.
Characteristics of the included case-control studies
| Study, year, country | Mean age (years) (cases/controls) | No of participants (cases/controls) | Male gender, no (%) (cases/controls) | Study population | Participants with CVD, excluded or not, at enrollment | Drug type | Follow-up time (years) | Study quality score (NOS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman et al,23 2003, USA | 52/39 | 73/124 | NA | SLE | No | HCQ | NA | 8 |
| Bessant et al,16 2006, UK | 47.7/41.1 | 29/29 | NA | SLE | No | HCQ | NA | 7 |
| de Leeuw et al,17 2006, the Netherlands | 48/40 | 13/59 | 1 (7.7)/8 (13.6) | SLE | No | HCQ | NA | 7 |
| Pons-Estel et al,22 2009, USA | 48.1/35.6 | 43/594 | 11 (25.6)/54 (9.1) | SLE | Yes | HCQ | 6.6 (mean) | 7 |
| Yang et al,26 2012, China | 31.4/31.2 | 38/38 | 2 (5.3)/8 (21.1) | SLE | No | HCQ | NA | 7 |
| Kao et al,30 2013, USA | 51.4/43.1 | 17/375 | 0 (0)/0 (0) | SLE | Yes | HCQ | 8 (mean) | 7 |
| Li et al,31 2017, China | 68.2/53.7 | 256/1,759 | 85 (33.3)/336 (19.1) | RA | No | HCQ | NA | 7 |
Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease; HCQ, hydroxychloroquine; NA, not available; NOS, the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.