Asymptomatic pericardial effusion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical correlates of asymptomatic pericardial effusion (PE) detected by echocardiography in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
Echocardiography and electrocardiography were performed in 87 consecutive patients with RA. Asymptomatic PE was correlated with electrocardiographic changes and laboratory findings.


RESULTS
Among 87 patients with RA, 20 patients (23%) had PE and 28 patients (32%) had hypoalbuminemia. The patients with PE had significantly lower serum albumin level (p < 0.001), higher rheumatoid factor (RF)titer (p = 0.002) and higher incidence of impaired left ventricular relaxation (55 vs. 28%, p = 0.028) and tended to have a higher incidence of PR-segment depression than those without PE (p = 0.085). When five variables (PR-segment depression, C-reactive protein, serum albumin, RF and impaired left ventricular relaxation) were used in the multivariate analysis, serum albumin (p = 0.003, Odds ratio = 0.131) and RF (p = 0.020, Odds ratio = 3.775) emerged as significant variables related to the presence of asymptomatic PE.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to pericardial inflammation due to more severe RA, hypoalbuminemia was an important factor associated with the presence of asymptomatic PE.
Sugiura
Tetsuro
T
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan. sugiurat@kochi-u.ac.jp
Kumon
Yoshitaka
Y
Kataoka
Hiromi
H
Matsumura
Yoshihisa
Y
Takeuchi
Hiroaki
H
Doi
Yoshinori
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D002097:C-Reactive Protein