title: Preclinical impairment of coronary flow reserve in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Cardiovascular involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is common, although the true prevalence of cardiac abnormalities is difficult to measure, as much disease remains clinically silent. The pathogenesis of cardiac lesions in RA is related to the primary disorder of microcirculation with diffuse arteriolar and capillary lesions. Previous studies demonstrated that coronary flow reserve (CFR) is impaired in patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD). This review focuses on transthoracic Doppler echocardiography as a noninvasive method used to assess CFR in RA patients. CFR is early reduced in RA patients without clinical evidence of heart disease as a result of impaired microcirculation. CFR seems a useful technique able to follow-up and to assess effects of new drugs on RA patients.
authors: Rheumatology Unit, L. Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. atzenifabiola@hotmail.com
authors: Fabiola
authors: F
authors: Atzeni
authors: Piercarlo
authors: P
authors: Sarzi-Puttini
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: De Blasio
authors: Luigi
authors: L
authors: Delfino
authors: Livio
authors: L
authors: Tomasoni
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Turiel
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged