Artery Research

Volume 5, Issue 4, December 2011, Pages 152 - 152

P1.14 FORMATION OF NEW ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES IN WELL CONTROLLED RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DEPENDS ON CLASSICAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Authors
A.D. Protogerou1, E. Zampeli1, K. Stamatelopoulos2, K. Fragiadaki2, C.G. Katsiari2, K. Kyrkou2, C.M. Papamichael2, M. Mavrikakis2, G.D. Kitas3, P.P. Sfikakis1
1First Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Laikon Hospital, Athens, Greece
2Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Athens, Greece
3The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley, United Kingdom
Available Online 29 November 2011.
DOI
10.1016/j.artres.2011.10.020How to use a DOI?
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD); RA patients demonstrate advanced pre-clinical carotid atherosclerosis compared to controls.

Objectives: To assess: the rate of progression of subclinical atherosclerotic plaque formation in RA patients and the factors leading to progression; whether the rate of progression in these patients is faster than in non-RA subjects carefully-matched for traditional CV risk factors. Methods: Carotid plaques were assessed by ultrasonography at baseline and follow-up end, separated by an average of 3.6±0.2 years, in 64 non-diabetic RA patients (53♀, aged 59.2±12 years) without concomitant CVD (RA disease duration 7.8±6.2 years). ‘Healthy’ controls matched 1:1 both at baseline and follow-up end for all traditional CVD risk factors with 35 RA patients were also studied.

Results: New plaques formed in 30% of patients who were significantly older, heavier tobacco user and had higher average systolic blood pressure compared to the rest RA population. Lipids, obesity, inflammatory markers and other RA related parameters were comparable between the 2 subgroups. In multivariate analysis: age and smoking predicted new plaque formation of all classical CVD factors (model 1); longer duration of corticosteroid use (low-dose) and shorter duration of biologic agent use (of all RA related parameters/drugs -model 2). In a final model: age, smoking and corticosteroid use predicted new plaque formation. Being in clinical remission on average during 62% of follow-up time, RA patients displayed similar rate of progression atherosclerotic plaque formation to the matched controls.

Conclusions: Formation of new atherosclerotic plaques in patients with well-controlled RA depends mainly on traditional cardiovascular risk factors and corticosteroid use.

Journal
Artery Research
Volume-Issue
5 - 4
Pages
152 - 152
Publication Date
2011/11/29
ISSN (Online)
1876-4401
ISSN (Print)
1872-9312
DOI
10.1016/j.artres.2011.10.020How to use a DOI?
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

TY  - JOUR
AU  - A.D. Protogerou
AU  - E. Zampeli
AU  - K. Stamatelopoulos
AU  - K. Fragiadaki
AU  - C.G. Katsiari
AU  - K. Kyrkou
AU  - C.M. Papamichael
AU  - M. Mavrikakis
AU  - G.D. Kitas
AU  - P.P. Sfikakis
PY  - 2011
DA  - 2011/11/29
TI  - P1.14 FORMATION OF NEW ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES IN WELL CONTROLLED RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DEPENDS ON CLASSICAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY
JO  - Artery Research
SP  - 152
EP  - 152
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
SN  - 1876-4401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2011.10.020
DO  - 10.1016/j.artres.2011.10.020
ID  - Protogerou2011
ER  -