Left ventricular remodeling in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

The goal is to study the features of heart remodeling in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who do not have cardiovascular diseases. Material and Methods: The study included 90 patients (aged 18 and older) with AS. The assessment of disease activity was determined using BASDAI (Bath AS Disease Activity Index) and ASDAS (The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score) indices. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (EchoCG) was performed to assess the state of the heart. Depending on the values of the left ventricular (LV) mass index and the relative LV wall thickness index, various types of LV hypertrophy and remodeling were identified. Results: The median age of patients was 38 [33; 46], the average duration of AS was 15.7±7.3 years; 61 of the patients (68%) were male. According to the echocardiographic study, 72 (80%) patients showed normal LV geometry and 18 (20%) showed signs of LV myocardium remodeling. Concentric remodeling of the left ventricular myocardium was observed for 9 (50%) patients, concentric hypertrophy was observed in 4 cases (22.2%), eccentric hypertrophy - in 5 cases (27.8%). Conclusion: Structural and functional changes of the heart were detected in 20% of young patients with AS without a history of cardiovascular diseases. EchoCG can serve as a method of early diagnosis of cardiovascular system pathology in young patients with ankylosing spondylitis who do not have cardiovascular diseases.