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Coronary arterial calcification in rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Jon T Giles1, Moyses Szklo, Wendy Post

  • 1Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. gilesjont@jhmi.edu

Arthritis Research & Therapy
|March 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Rheumatoid arthritis patients, especially men, show increased coronary artery calcification, linked to disease severity and inflammation. Preventive measures are crucial, particularly for younger patients with low traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease is a significant concern in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
  • Subclinical coronary atherosclerosis burden in rheumatoid arthritis remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
  • To compare coronary artery calcification between rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls.

Main Methods:

  • Computed tomography was used to measure coronary artery calcification (CAC).
  • 195 rheumatoid arthritis patients were compared with 1,073 controls from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Baltimore cohort.
  • Participants were aged 45-84 years and had no clinical cardiovascular disease.

Main Results:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis patients, particularly men, exhibited a higher prevalence of coronary calcification.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis patients with prevalent calcification had significantly higher Agatston scores.
  • Increasing rheumatoid arthritis disease severity correlated with higher prevalence and extent of coronary calcification, with the largest difference in younger age groups.

Conclusions:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis disease severity is associated with increased coronary artery calcification, potentially mediated by systemic inflammation.
  • Preventive strategies should target men with rheumatoid arthritis and consider younger patients with low traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Abstract

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