Marker of Early Atherosclerosis Seen In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

[Guest guest]

Marker of Early Atherosclerosis Seen In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

A DGReview of : " Atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: Morphologic

evidence obtained by carotid ultrasound "

Arthritis & Rheumatism

07/19/2002

By Elda Hauschildt

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients appear to have a marker of early

atherosclerosis that is consistent with increased risk for the disease.

Recent studies have suggested increased cardiovascular disease among

patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We undertook this study to obtain

morphologic evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients.

To obtain morphologic evidence that RA patients have sub-clinical

atherosclerosis, researchers used high-resolution B-mode ultrasound to

compare carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (IMT) in 53

postmenopausal women diagnosed with RA and 53 control women.

Subjects were matched by age, sex and menopause status and none had a

history of atherosclerosis or its complications.

The investigators, from Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul,

Korea, and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Massachusetts, United

States, examined the association between IMT and relevant clinical and

therapeutic variables. These included the impact of low-dose corticosteroid

therapy (10 mg per day or less of prednisolone).

RA patients had a significantly greater mean IMT of the left and right

common carotid arteries than did controls (0.77±0.09 mm vs. 0.68±0.14 mm;

p<0.001).

RA was associated with lesser IMT than was RA of longer duration 0.72±0.03

mm vs. 0.78±0.01 mm; p<0.04), the authors write. They also found that use of

prednisolone was not associated with increased IMT (0.78±0.02 mm in controls

vs. 0.76±0.01 mm in users; p=0.38).

Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2002; 46: 1714-1719.