Introduction: The increased prevalence of premature atherosclerosis and stiffening of arteries in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is well established.

However, it is uncertain which of risk factors has the greatest influence on arterial stiffness parameters from applanation tonometry.

Methods: 63 women with RA, 31 with SLE and 72 controls aged 18–55 years were examined. Parameters of arterial stiffness, augmentation index (AIx) and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV), were obtained by applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor (v.7.01) AtCor Medical).

Results: Women with RA and SLE differed from controls with respect to AIx (p<0.001; p=0.008) and did not differ between each other. SLE women differed from controls with respect to PWV (p=0.018) while RA - did not. By multiple regression analysis we have found that main explanatory factor for AIx and PWV was mean blood pressure (MBP) in RA patients. In SLE women PWV was not related to any of the pending parameters, AIx - to organ damage index, age and MBP.

Conclusion: The mean blood pressure was the major and the only one risk factor on arterial stiffening in rheumatoid arthritis while the disease damage index played the most important role in systemic lupus erythematosus group. Mean blood pressure in systemic lupus erythematosus was not as important as in rheumatoid arthritis group, though may have partial influence.

This research was funded by a grant (No. MIP-83/2010) from the Research Council of Lithuania.