Cardiovascular risk assessment with carotid ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Vascular Ultrasound

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk.
• Traditional CV risk factors may not fully capture this elevated risk in RA patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cardiovascular risk in RA patients using carotid ultrasound.
• To compare carotid ultrasound findings between RA patients and matched controls.
• To determine if RA disease activity correlates with subclinical atherosclerosis.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional case-control study included 200 RA patients and 111 controls.
• Exclusion criteria included age over 75, established CV disease, or advanced chronic kidney disease.
• Statistical analysis involved multivariate variance analysis (MANOVA) and adjusted negative binomial regression.

Main Results:

• RA patients exhibited significantly higher intima-media thickness and plaque count compared to controls.
• Increased intima-media thickness and plaque burden in RA patients were associated with disease duration and DAS28 scores.
• Age, BMI, and high blood pressure were related in both groups, but RA-specific findings were prominent.

Conclusions:

• Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to increased intima-media thickness and plaque burden.
• These vascular changes in RA are associated with disease duration and activity.
• The findings support Rheumatoid Arthritis as an independent cardiovascular risk factor.