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Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index are not independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

Arterial stiffness can enhance cardiovascular risk by increasing atherogenesis or adverse hemodynamic effects. We examined whether the arterial stiffness markers of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the augmentation index (AIx) are independently associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PWV and AIx were determined by brachial oscillometry using the Mobil-O-Graph® system and carotid IMT and plaque by ultrasound in 194 consecutive RA patients without established cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes at disease onset. In crude analysis, PWV was associated with IMT (β (95% CI) = 0.04 (0.03 to 0.05), p value < 0.0001) and plaque (OR (95% CI) = 1.69 (1.40 to 2.04), p value < 0.0001). Upon adjustment for the confounders of age, sex, mean blood pressure, body height, and cardiovascular risk factors comprising smoking, the atherogenic index, and diabetes, PWV was not related to IMT (β (95% CI) = 0.01 (−0.02 to 0.04), p value = 0.5) or plaque (OR (95% CI) = 0.99 (0.96 to 1.01), p value = 0.3). AIx was not associated with IMT in crude (β (95% CI) = −0.002 (−0.004 to 0.007), p value = 0.2) and adjusted analyses (β (95% CI) = −0.002 (−0.004 to 0.000), p value = 0.06). AIx was also unrelated to carotid plaque in crude (OR (95% CI) = 1.04 (0.60 to 1.82), p value = 0.9) and adjusted analyses (OR (95% CI) = 0.97 (0.94 to 1.01), p value = 0.1). PWV and AIx are not independently associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in RA.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Division, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, Spain

    M. Robustillo-Villarino & J. J. Alegre-Sancho

  2. Internal Medicine Division, Hospital de Sagunto, Valencia, Spain

    E. Rodilla-Sala

  3. Rheumatology Division, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

    A. Corrales & M. A. Gonzalez-Gay

  4. Division of Epidemiology and Computational Biology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain

    J. Llorca

  5. Rheumatology Division, Internal Medicine Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Jette, Brussels, Belgium

    P. H. Dessein

  6. Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    P. H. Dessein

Authors
  1. M. Robustillo-Villarino
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  2. J. J. Alegre-Sancho
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  3. E. Rodilla-Sala
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  4. A. Corrales
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  5. J. Llorca
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  6. M. A. Gonzalez-Gay
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  7. P. H. Dessein
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Contributions

MR-V, MAG-G, and PHD conceived the study. MR-V and JJA-S collected the data. JLL performed the statistical analysis with input from MAG-G and PHD. MR-V, JLL, MAG-G, and PHD drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to the data interpretation, gave intellectual input, and approved the final version to be published.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. H. Dessein.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the hospital independent ethics committee and informed written consent was obtained in each patient.

Disclosures

None.

Additional information

M. A. Gonzalez-Gay and P. H. Dessein share senior authorship.

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Robustillo-Villarino, M., Alegre-Sancho, J.J., Rodilla-Sala, E. et al. Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index are not independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol 36, 2601–2606 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3680-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3680-z

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