title: Atherosclerosis assessment and rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is an enzyme of phospholipase A2; it plays an important role in inflammation and atherosclerosis. Herein we aimed to investigate whether Lp-PLA2 activity is associated with atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and compare the Lp-PLA2 activity with carotid intima media thickness (CIMT).
  
  
  METHODS
  25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 40 controls (20 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [DM] and 20 healthy controls) were included in the study. Frozen serum samples were used for analyzing Lp-PLA2 activity. Disease activity was calculated with DAS28 (Disease Activity Score 28) in the rheumatoid arthritis group. The mean CIMT was calculated in all participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lp-PLA2 activity was significantly higher in the DM group (p = 0.006) and LDL (Low density cholesterol levels) were lower in rheumatoid arthritis and healthy control groups compared with diabetics (p = 0.001 and p = 0.029, respectively). The mean CIMT was significantly higher in patients with type 2 DM (p = 0.047).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lp-PLA2 activity was not increased in the rheumatoid arthritis group when compared with healthy controls and the DM group. This result may be associated with low disease activity scores in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Department of Rheumatology, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey. cemalbes@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bes
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Department of Radiology, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gürel
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Department of Biochemistry, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buğdaycı
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dikbaş
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Department of Rheumatology, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soy
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Arthritis; Atherosclerosis; Disease activity; Glucose; Healthy