Renal Vascular Involvement Assessed by Intrarenal Resistive Index in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Associations...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Nephrology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is linked to increased risks of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Persistent systemic inflammation in RA is a primary driver of these comorbidities.
• Understanding the interplay between joint damage, renal function, and cardiovascular risk (CVR) in RA is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the risk of CKD in RA patients.
• To evaluate the association between structural joint damage and CVR in RA.
• To investigate the relationship between articular damage, renal parameters, and cardiovascular risk.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 70 RA patients meeting 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria.
• Assessment of structural joint damage using Sharp/van der Heijde score (SHS).
• Evaluation of renal function (eGFR, ACR, RRI) and CVR (SCORE, carotid ultrasonography for IMT and plaques).

Main Results:

• SHS strongly correlated with renal and vascular parameters (ACR, RRI, IMT, eGFR), with p < 0.0001.
• CVR showed positive correlations with SHS, ACR, RRI, and IMT.
• Elevated RRI (≥0.70) indicated longer disease duration, severe joint damage, impaired renal function, and higher CVR.

Conclusions:

• Cumulative articular damage in RA is closely linked to renal dysfunction.
• Increased CVR is significantly associated with structural joint damage in RA patients.
• Sustained inflammation is central to multiorgan involvement in rheumatoid arthritis.