Increased pulse wave velocity and shortened pulse wave propagation time in young patients with rheumatoid arthritis

• Published in: Canadian journal of cardiology Vol. 20; no. 11; p. 1097
• Main Authors: Yildiz, Mustafa, Soy, Mehmet, Kurum, Turhan, Ozbay, Gultac
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.09.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - diagnosis; Blood Flow Velocity; Blood Pressure - physiology; Blood Pressure Determination; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases - complications; Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnosis; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Case-Control Studies; Disease Progression; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Male; Probability; Prognosis; Pulsatile Flow; Risk Assessment; Sampling Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Factors; Statistics, Nonparametric; Vascular Resistance
• ISSN: 0828-282X

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic immune and inflammatory disease associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an index of arterial stiffness and a marker of cardiovascular events. To investigate arterial stiffness using carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV measurements in young patients with RA. Eight patients (aged 21 to 34 years, seven women, mean RA duration 13.8+/-12.6 months) with RA according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, and eight age- and sex-matched control subjects (aged 22 to 34 years, seven women) were recruited. Aortic PWV was determined using an automatic device, the Complior (Complior Colson, France), which allowed on-line pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV. The carotid-femoral PWV, systolic blood pressure and heart rate were higher in young patients with RA than in sex- and age-matched control subjects (P=0.03, P=0.02 and P=0.002, respectively). In the young patients with RA, pulse wave propagation time between measurement sites was significantly shorter than in the control group (P=0.02). There were no significant differences in the sex, age, body mass index, waist to hip ratio, diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure or pulse pressure between the two groups (P=1.00, P=0.71, P=0.20, P=0.66, P=0.55, P=0.07 and P=0.11, respectively). The carotid-femoral PWV is increased and pulse wave propagation time is decreased in young patients with RA. Measurements of carotid-femoral PWV may provide a simple and noninvasive technique for identifying patients at increased risk of vascular disease.