title: Carotid atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid nodules.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether an association exists between the presence of rheumatoid nodules and thickening of the intima-media and plaque of the carotid artery, which is evidence of atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, cross-sectional study of 124 patients with rheumatoid arthritis from a University Hospital clinic from 2005 to 2006. We divided the patients into 2 groups, 62 with rheumatoid nodules and 62 without rheumatoid nodules, matched for age and sex. Medical history, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, rheumatoid factor, and a high resolution doppler ultrasound of the carotid arteries were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women comprised 89.5% of the patients. The prevalence of a carotid plaque was 57% in our population. The presence of a plaque was associated with age, arterial hypertension and abdominal circumference. Average intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with a plaque was 0.085 cm (± 0.02). There was no correlation between laboratory parameters and thickening of the intima-media of the carotid artery. Subcutaneous nodules were present in 33 (47%) of the 70 patients with a carotid plaque and in 29 (54%) of patients without a carotid plaque (p=.471).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We did not find an association between rheumatoid nodules and the presence of a carotid plaque and thickening of the intima-media of the carotid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Service, Hospital Universitario Dr José Eleuterio González, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. dgalarza@medicinauanl.mx
authors.forename: Dionicio Angel
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Galarza-Delgado
authors.forename: Jorge Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Esquivel-Valerio
authors.forename: Mario Alberto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garza-Elizondo
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Góngora-Rivera
authors.forename: Jorge Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Muñoz-De Hoyos
authors.forename: Griselda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serna-Peña
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012218:Rheumatoid Nodule / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult