Increased coronary-artery atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: relationship to disease duration and cardiovascular risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the prevalence and severity of coronary-artery atherosclerosis in patients with early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and controls.


METHODS
Electron-beam computed tomography was used to measure the extent of coronary-artery calcification in 227 subjects, of whom 70 had early RA, 71 had established RA, and 86 were controls. Coronary-artery calcification calculated according to the Agatston calcium score was compared in patients and controls, and its relationship to clinical characteristics was examined. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were obtained with the use of proportional odds logistic regression models to determine independent associations of early and established RA and coronary-artery calcification.


RESULTS
Calcium scores were higher in patients with established RA (median 40.2, interquartile range [IQR] 0-358.8) compared with those with early disease (median 0, IQR 0-42.6) and controls (median 0, IQR 0-19.2) (P = 0.001). Coronary-artery calcification occurred more frequently in patients with established RA (60.6%) than in patients with early RA (42.9%) and control subjects (38.4%) (P = 0.016) The OR for the likelihood of having more severe coronary-artery calcification (defined as an Agatston score >109) in patients with established disease was 3.42 (P = 0.002) after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. Among patients with RA, smoking (OR 1.02, P = 0.04) and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (OR 1.02, P = 0.05) were associated with more severe coronary-artery calcification after adjustment for age and sex.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence and severity of coronary calcification is increased in patients with established RA and is related, in part, to smoking and an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Chung
Cecilia P
CP
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-6602, USA.
Oeser
Annette
A
Raggi
Paolo
P
Gebretsadik
Tebeb
T
Shintani
Ayumi K
AK
Sokka
Tuulikki
T
Pincus
Theodore
T
Avalos
Ingrid
I
Stein
C Michael
CM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology