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The relationship between carotid intima-media thickness and the activity of rheumatoid arthritis

Bożena Targońska-Stepniak1, Anna Drelich-Zbroja, Maria Majdan

  • 1Department of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland. bozena.stepniak@am.lublin.pl

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology : Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases
|July 23, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Rheumatoid arthritis patients show increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), a marker of atherosclerosis, compared to controls. RA disease features, not just traditional risk factors, contribute to this elevated cardiovascular risk.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, primarily due to accelerated atherosclerosis.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is an established surrogate marker for early atherosclerosis detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate cIMT in RA patients without common comorbidities that could affect cIMT.
  • To identify associations between cIMT and RA disease characteristics in a carefully selected cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy-four RA patients without heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, or smoking were assessed.
  • High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography was used to measure cIMT in RA patients and 31 healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • RA patients exhibited significantly greater mean maximum cIMT than controls (0.73 vs. 0.59 mm).
  • In RA patients, cIMT correlated with inflammatory markers, NT-proBNP, age, and metabolic variables.
  • NT-proBNP and age were significant predictors of cIMT in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

  • RA patients demonstrate significantly higher cIMT compared to controls, indicating subclinical atherosclerosis.
  • RA disease activity, extra-articular manifestations, and disease duration are associated with increased cIMT, even without traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
  • These findings suggest an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile in RA patients, emphasizing the need for proactive CV risk management.
Abstract

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