title: Associations between disease activity, markers of HDL functionality and arterial stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory disease associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Measures of HDL metabolism/function were shown to be altered in RA patients with high disease activity. We aimed at evaluating the effect of HDL characteristics on arterial stiffness in RA patients classified according to the inflammatory disease activity.
  
  
  
  RA patients were classified according to disease activity (DAS-28) into active RA (n = 27; DAS-28 > 3.2) and inactive RA patients (n = 17; DAS-28 < 3.2). A control group of healthy individuals was also studied (n = 33). Clinical and biochemical characteristics, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and paraoxonase 1 (phenylacetate and paraoxonase) activities and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) were determined.
  
  
  
  Anthropometric characteristics were similar in all groups. In accordance with the inflammatory status, active RA patients presented elevated hsCRP levels (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the lipid profile between groups. Similarly, features of insulin resistance were absent in RA patients (p = non-significant). Active RA patients presented higher CETP activity than the other two groups (p = 0.026). Phenylacetate and paraoxonase activities were altered in active RA patients in comparison with the other groups (p = 0.034 and p = 0.041, respectively). Cf-PWV was significantly higher in active RA patients in comparison with controls, following adjustment by age (p = 0.030). Age (βst = 0.468, p = 0.013) and apo A-I levels (βst = -0.405, p = 0.029) were independent predictors of cf-PWV in a model including hsCRP, HOMA-IR, and phenylacetate activity (r(2) = 0.42).
  
  
  
  High DAS-28 identifies patients with alterations in HDL characteristics. Plasma levels of apo A-I can be used as a marker of arterial stiffness in RA.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Eliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Botta
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hematology Section, Biochemistry Service, Hospital Nacional "Prof. Alejandro Posadas", El Palomar, Argentina. Electronic address: tomasmero@yahoo.com.ar.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meroño
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Section, Medical Services and Central Laboratory, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Instituto Universitario, Escuela de Medicina Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saucedo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Maximiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tetzlaff
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Section, Medical Services and Central Laboratory, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Instituto Universitario, Escuela de Medicina Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sorroche
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boero
authors.affiliation: Arthritis Service, Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín", Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Malah
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menafra
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gómez Rosso
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), UMR ICAN 1166, University of Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6, AP-HP, Groupe hospitalier Pitie-Salpétriére, ICAN, Paris F-75013, France.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), UMR ICAN 1166, University of Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6, AP-HP, Groupe hospitalier Pitie-Salpétriére, ICAN, Paris F-75013, France.
authors.forename: Anatol
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kontush
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Section, Medical Services and Central Laboratory, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Instituto Universitario, Escuela de Medicina Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, INFIBIOC, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brites
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000378:metabolism*; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D053480:Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D015415:Biomarkers; C506642:CETP protein, human; D053480:Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase
keywords: Arterial rigidity; Atherosclerosis; Cholesteryl ester transfer protein; HDL; Paraoxonase; Pulse wave velocity; Rheumatoid arthritis