Arthritis and arteries

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Study: Plaque-Narrowed Neck Arteries 3 Times More Common

With RA

ByÊMirandaÊHitti

WebMD Medical News Reviewed ByÊLouiseÊChang,ÊMD

on Tuesday, February 21, 2006

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Feb. 21, 2006 -- People with rheumatoid arthritis may be more

likely to have neck arteries narrowed by plaque, a new study

shows.

The study focuses on the carotid arteries, which run up through

the neck, bringing blood to the brain.

Using ultrasound imaging, the researchers viewed the carotid

arteries of 98 people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 98

people without it. The two groups were matched for age, sex,

and ethnicity.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients were three times as likely to have

plaque-narrowed carotid arteries as those without it, the study

shows.

Compared with the general public, people with RA die

prematurely, mainly from heart disease, write Roman, MD,

and colleagues in the ls of Internal Medicine.

Roman works in the cardiology division at Cornell University's

Weill Medical College.

Plaque and Rheumatoid Arthritis

The researchers noted participants' risk factors for heart

disease, including high blood pressure, family history of heart

disease, and diabetes.

The group without RA included more smokers and people with

high blood pressure. Even so, the RA group had triple the odds

of having plaque-narrowed arteries.

Among the RA patients, 44% had plaque-narrowed carotid

arteries. So did 15% of the comparison group without RA.

Participants without RA who had high blood pressure stopped

taking their blood pressure medication for three weeks before

their carotid arteries were studied. Blood pressure medicine

wasn't interrupted for anyone with RA.

About the RA Patients

The rheumatoid arthritis patients were 20-83 years old (average

age: 35). On average, they had been diagnosed with RA 12 years

before the study.

Compared with people without RA, plaque-narrowed arteries

were more common in RA patients of all age groups,

" particularly among the younger patients, " the researchers write.

However, not all RA patients had plaque-narrowed carotid

arteries. The artery problem was more often seen in patients

taking TNF therapy, biologic drugs that target an inflammatory

protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Roman's team doesn't blame anti-TNF drugs for that pattern.

Instead, the researchers say patients taking TNF therapy may

have more severe rheumatoid arthritis, which could affect risk of

artery disease.

Inflammation's Role?

Possibly, inflammation related to RA is also tied to risk of

atherosclerosis (plaque-hardened blood vessels), the

researchers write, noting that they haven't proven that theory.

They call for " aggressive control " of rheumatoid arthritis -- along

with curbing other risk factors for heart disease -- " because

chronic inflammation is probably a driving force for premature

atherosclerosis. "

Since participants' arteries were only checked once, the study

doesn't show how artery disease progressed over