RESEARCH - Cardiac and pulmonary alterations in patients with RA

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Med Arh. 2010;64(2):101-2.

Cardiac and pulmonary alterations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Berisha I, Berisha B, Krasniqi X.

Rheumatology Departament, Internal Clinic, University Clinical Center

of Kosova, Prishtina, Republic of Kosova.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: cardiac and pulmonary clinical manifestations frequently

absent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this

study was to evaluate cardiac and pulmonary alterations in RA among

patients without clinical manifestations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in 169 patients (127

female and 42 male, with mean age 51.6, SD +/- 12.7 years, P > 0.05)

with RA diagnosed on the basis of ACR criteria. All patients underwent

a transthoracal echocardiography (TTE), a chest X ray, an

electrocardiogram and laboratory tests. Patients with clinical

manifestations of cardiac and pulmonary disease were excluded from the

study.

RESULTS: Pericarditis was evidenced in 16.6%, mitral regurgitation in

21.9%, aortal regurgitation in 26%, and pulmonary diffuse fibrosis in

16.6% of cases The authors found that 158 (93.5%) of patients were CRP

positive.

CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that cardiac and pulmonary

alterations are frequently present and prevalence of elevated CRP

levels and positive serologic tests was high in asymptomatic patients

with RA among patients without clinical manifestations.

PMID: 20514776

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20514776

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