Cardiovascular risk markers (computed tomography‑coronary artery calcium and carotid intima‑media thickness) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and controls

Chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis have been linked to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The present study examined the association between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary artery calcium (CAC), as well as the cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Additionally, the present study used 28 measures to calculate the disease activity score (DAS). To compare healthy controls with patients with RA, a case-control study was conducted that assessed CAC and CIMT in patients with the disease. A total of 45 healthy individuals and 45 patients with a diagnosis of RA were included in the study. With an average age of 50.66±12.35 years, the ages of the participants varied from 24 to 80 years. In both the control and RA patient groups, the sex ratio was 60%. The RA patient group had 53.3% female participants. There were significant variations in the levels of serum urea, potassium, magnesium, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, total leucocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipids [apart from triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)]. There was a substantial difference in the scores between patients with RA and the controls as regards CAC. A mild-severe risk of coronary artery disease was observed in 55.6% of RA cases and 4.4% of the controls (all mild). Both CIMT thickness and the CAC score exhibited a significant correlation with CRP, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low-density lipids and serum VLDL. The DAS of patients ranged between 4.4 and 8.2 (mean, 5.81±0.91). A moderate disease activity was noted in the remaining patients, whereas 66.7% exhibited a high disease activity (DAS >5.2). On the whole, the present study demonstrates that conventional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as dyslipidemia, are consistent with both CIMT and CAC. The risk of developing atherosclerosis may be substantially increased by chronic inflammation, as the DAS score corresponds with CIMT and CAC.