RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Recent-onset of rheumatoid arthritis leads to increase in wall thickness of left anterior descending coronary artery
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 1213
OP 1217
DO 10.15537/smj.2018.12.23185
VO 39
IS 12
A1 Suad Hannawi
A1 Haifa Hannawi
A1 Fahda Alokaily
A1 Esperanza Naredo
A1 Ingrid Moller
A1 Issa Al Salmi
YR 2018
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/39/12/1213.abstract
AB Objectives: To explore the atherosclerotic changes of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) in patients with early onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Transthoracic echocardiographic scans were performed on 15 early RA patients and 20 control subjects, free of rheumatological diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Out of 15 RA patients, 10 were matched for age and gender with control. Left anterior descending coronary artery wall thickness was compared between RA subjects and their matched control. Among early RA patients, correlation was assessed between LADCA wall thickness and the demographic features, RA activity features, and cardiovascular risk factors.Results: Left anterior descending coronary artery wall thickness was significantly increased (p=0.001) in early RA compared to controls, as it was reported to be 0.61±0.04 mm (CI: 0.52-0.7); and 0.48±0.08 mm (CI: 0.44-0.51) respectively. Within early RA, LADCA wall thickness was related to the disease activity score (p=0.025, ß-coefficient 0.066, CI: 0.01-0.122) as well as to the patient global assessment of disease activity (PGADA) at RA onset (p=0.006, ß-coefficient 0.003, CI: 0.001-0.005), in a positive linear relationship. Left anterior descending coronary artery wall thickness was found to be thicker among RA patients with rheumatoid factor (RF) positive (p=0.015, CI: 0.53-0.66).Conclusion: Early RA patients have increased coronary arteries atherosclerotic burden compared to healthy subjects matched for age, and gender. Rheumatoid factor positivity, high disease activity score and PGADA were found to be associated with coronary artery wall thickness.