Arterial distensibility in chronic inflammatory rheumatic disorders

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Rheumatology
• Immunology

Background:

• Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a key indicator of arterial distensibility and cardiovascular risk.
• Systemic inflammatory and immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
• Systemic inflammation may accelerate atherosclerosis by negatively impacting arterial compliance and distensibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of arterial stiffness in patients with various chronic inflammatory conditions.
• To examine the association between increased PWV and systemic immune and inflammatory diseases.
• To provide an overview of arterial stiffness in RA, SLE, and other related disorders.

Main Methods:

• Assessment of carotid-femoral (aortic) pulse wave velocity (PWV) to evaluate large artery elasticity.
• Analysis of peripheral arterial waveforms to determine PWV.
• Review of existing literature on arterial stiffness in systemic inflammatory diseases.

Main Results:

• Elevated PWV was observed in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions such as RA, SLE, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), sarcoidosis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis.
• Behçet's disease (BD) was an exception where increased PWV was not consistently demonstrated.
• Arterial stiffness is a significant concern in these patient populations.

Conclusions:

• Increased arterial stiffness, indicated by elevated PWV, is prevalent in various chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Arterial stiffness may be a mechanism through which systemic inflammation contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.
• Monitoring PWV could aid in cardiovascular risk stratification for patients with systemic immune and inflammatory disorders.