Heart defects in rheumatoid arthritis patients (the results of a multiyear prospective clinico-echocardiographic study)

The analysis of life-time diagnosis of valvular heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients has been made basing on a long-term clinico-echocardiographic investigation. Within 18-year follow-up valvular disease was revealed in 17 out of 214 RA patients (7.9%). Only 3 patients developed the d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTerapevtic̆eskii arhiv Vol. 66; no. 5; p. 33
Main Authors Nemchinov, E N, Kanevskaia, M Z, Chichasova, N V, Telepneva, L M, Krel', A A
Format Journal Article
LanguageRussian
Published Russia (Federation) 1994
Subjects
Adult
Aged
Aortic Valve - diagnostic imaging
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - diagnostic imaging
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - epidemiology
Disease Progression
Echocardiography - statistics & numerical data
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Heart Valve Diseases - diagnostic imaging
Heart Valve Diseases - epidemiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mitral Valve - diagnostic imaging
Prognosis
Prospective Studies
Rheumatic Heart Disease - diagnostic imaging
Rheumatic Heart Disease - epidemiology
Time Factors
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Summary:The analysis of life-time diagnosis of valvular heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients has been made basing on a long-term clinico-echocardiographic investigation. Within 18-year follow-up valvular disease was revealed in 17 out of 214 RA patients (7.9%). Only 3 patients developed the disease in childhood prior to RA diagnosis. In 8 patients the diagnosis of valvular disease was established in the presence of RA, in 6 RA patients the disease was determined during the follow-up period. Mitral stenosis, aortal stenosis, combined mitral valve incompetence, combined aortal defect, mitral defect and tricuspid incompetence, combined mitral defect and pulmonary artery valvular incompetence were detected in 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, and 1 patients, respectively. Valvular disease occurs more frequently in progredient seropositive RA uncontrollable by on-going therapy. The authors emphasize the value of a prospective clinical echocardiographic examination of RA patients in early diagnosis of valvular disease in them. Frequent valvular lesions in RA patients dictate the need of persistent antirheumatic therapy to inhibit the activity and prevent progression of the disease.
ISSN:0040-3660