Atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: morphologic evidence obtained by carotid ultrasound.
OBJECTIVE
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.


METHODS
We used high-resolution B-mode ultrasound to compare carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (IMT) between 53 postmenopausal women with RA and 53 controls matched by age, sex, and menopause status. No subject in either group had a history of atherosclerosis or its complications. We investigated the association between IMT and relevant clinical and therapeutic variables, including the impact of low-dose corticosteroid therapy (< or = 10 mg/day prednisolone).


RESULTS
The mean +/- SD IMT of the left and right common carotid arteries in RA patients was significantly greater than that in controls (0.77 +/- 0.09 mm versus 0.68 +/- 0.14 mm; P < 0.001). Early RA (duration < or = 1 year) was associated with lesser IMT than was RA of longer duration (0.72 +/- 0.03 mm versus 0.78 +/- 0.01 mm; P < 0.04). Prednisolone use was not associated with increased IMT (0.78 +/- 0.02 mm in nonusers versus 0.76 +/- 0.01 mm in users; P = 0.38).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that RA patients have an ultrasonic marker of early atherosclerosis consistent with an increased risk for atherosclerosis.
Institute for Immunology and Immunological Diseases, BK21 Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Yong-Beom
YB
Park
Chul-Woo
CW
Ahn
Hyon K
HK
Choi
Seung-Hoon
SH
Lee
Byung-Hyun
BH
In
Hyun-Chul
HC
Lee
Chung-Mo
CM
Nam
Soo-Kon
SK
Lee
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D011239:Prednisolone