title: [The heart and rheumatoid arthritis. Prospective study of 100 cases].
abstract: We studied one hundred consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the cardiological point of view through non invasive methods to detect the frequency of cardiovascular complications. Seventy three (73%) were females and twenty seven (27%) males. Mean age, 48.6 years. Mean age of presentation of the disease, 34.2 years. Mean age of duration of the illness, 21.8 years. Fifty seven per cent had some type of cardiopulmonary complication. Clinically 52 per cent referred some type of cardiopulmonary symptoms. The physical examination was abnormal in 27 per cent. Rheumatoid factor (Waaler-Rose) was positive in 82 per cent. The cardiac X ray series was abnormal in 33 per cent, the resting electrocardiogram in 48 per cent and the M mode echocardiogram in 52 per cent of the cases. The complications detected were: pericardial effusion (21%); pleural effusion (9%); pulmonary fibrosis (6%) which represents a higher incidence of previously reported in the literature; congestive heart failure (10%); valvular lesion (9%) among those are included six patients with valvular heart disease of non detectable etiology; ischemic heart disease (8%); myocarditis (6%); rythm disturbances (22%) and conduction defects (20%) including a 46 year old female patient who developed a complete AV block during an exacerbation of her illness, requiring the insertion of definitive pacemaker. Our results showed that some of the detected lesions are in part more frequent and severe than those reported in the literature, probably due to, that on one hand their search was intentional and on the other, our group was constituted by with severe and long standing rheumatoid arthritis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography
vernacular_title: El corazón y la artritis reumatoide. Estudio prospectivo de 100 casos.