title: Endothelial dysfunction in psoriatic arthritis patients without clinically evident cardiovascular disease or classic atherosclerosis risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether endothelial dysfunction was present in a cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) without overt cardiovascular disease or classic cardiovascular risk factors attended to in a community hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with PsA who fulfilled the Moll and Wright criteria were recruited from Hospital Xeral-Calde (Lugo, Spain). Patients seen during the period of recruitment who had classic cardiovascular risk factors or had experienced cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events were excluded. Fifty healthy matched controls were also studied. In all patients and controls, endothelial function was determined by measuring flow-mediated endothelial dependent vasodilatation (FMD%) and endothelial independent vasodilatation (GTN%) by brachial ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FMD% was significantly impaired in patients compared with controls (mean, median [range] 6.3%, 6.1% [0.3-13.4%] versus 8.2%, 8.2% [0.0-21.2%]; P = 0.008). However, no significant difference existed between patients and controls in GTN% or baseline diameter. A significant correlation between C-reactive protein level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate at the time of disease diagnosis and FMD% was found (P < 0.04). No significant FMD% and GTN% differences were observed when patients with PsA with polyarticular pattern were compared with the remaining patients with PsA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study demonstrates that patients with PsA without cardiovascular risk factors or clinically evident cardiovascular disease also exhibit endothelial dysfunction. These observations provide a basis for the potential association between PsA and atherosclerotic disease.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Xeral-Calde, Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Juanatey
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Llorca
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Miranda-Filloy
authors.forename: Encarnacion
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amigo-Diaz
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia-Porrua
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Gay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation