Augmentation index and large-artery remodeling in patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis compared with healthy controls
Pieringer H et al. – Study demonstrates that augmentation index (Aix), a marker of arterial stiffness, as well as intima-media thickness (IMT), a marker of large-artery remodeling, are increased in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients without traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Measuring AIx might assist in better assessing the increased CV risk in RA pts.Methods- Study was undertaken to:
- Investigate whether AIx is increased in RA pts w/o traditional CV risk factors and
- Evaluate whether there is an interrelationship with large artery remodeling as ascertained by carotid ultrasound
- 36 RA pts (age: 46.4±7.7 yrs; 31 female); were eligible for analysis if they had no traditional CV risk factors
- AIx was assessed noninvasively during pulse wave analyses
- For large artery remodeling IMT was measured in both common carotid arteries with ultrasound
- Results were compared with 36 age- and sex-matched controls
Results- AIx was higher in RA pts vs controls
- In addition, IMT was higher in RA pts
- In RA pts there was a positive correlation between IMT and AIx
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