Atherosclerotic lesion of carotid arteries in rheumatoid arthritis and its association with cardiovascular risk factors

Introduction. Cardiovascular complications are more often observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Available cardiovascular risk scales were developed for general population and provide in sufficiently adequate assessment of the cardiovascular event likelihood. Studying the risk factors in rheumatoid arthritis patients is necessary for timely diagnosis and prevention.Objective: To analyze the incidence of atherosclerotic lesions in the brachiocephalic arteries in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and associations of this pathology with cardiovascular risk factors.Material and Methods. Two hundred and twelve Caucasian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (age of 58.0 years [48.3; 65.0]; Disease Activity Score-28 of 4.96 [3.86; 5.85]) were included in our study. Patients had American College of Rheumatology-defined rheumatoid arthritis (1987 classification criteria). The ratio of women to men was 5.8 to 1. General clinical examination of patients, the identification of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and the determination of disease activity were performed. The atherosclerotic progression was assessed by ultrasonography with carotid intima-media thickness measurement and atherosclerotic plaque detection. All patients gave written informed consent before enrollment into the study.Results. Atherosclerotic plaques were found in 59 patients (27.8%), predominantly in older individuals (66.0 [59.0; 73.0] versus 55.0 years [42.0; 61.0], p function show_eabstract() { $('#eabstract1').hide(); $('#eabstract2').show(); $('#eabstract_expand').hide(); }