Cardiovascular MRI evidence of reduced systolic function and reduced LV mass in rheumatoid arthritis: impact of disease phenotype

• Published in: The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging 2020-03, Vol.36 (3), p.491-501
• Main Authors: Bissell, L. A., Erhayiem, B., Hensor, E. M. A., Fent, G., Burska, A., McDiarmid, A. K., Swoboda, P. P., Donica, H., Plein, S., Buch, M. H., Greenwood, J. P., Andrews, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Arteriosclerosis; Arthritis; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - diagnosis; Atherosclerosis; Blood pressure; Cardiac Imaging; Cardiology; Cardiovascular diseases; Case-Control Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes mellitus; Female; Genotype & phenotype; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heart diseases; Humans; Imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Multivariable control; Original Paper; Phenotype; Phenotypes; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiology; Regression analysis; Regression models; Rheumatoid arthritis; Risk analysis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Risk management; Sex; Stiffness; Strain rate; Structure-function relationships; Systole; Vascular Stiffness; Ventricle; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - diagnostic imaging; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - etiology; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - physiopathology; Ventricular Function, Left; Ventricular Remodeling
• ISSN: 1569-5794; 1573-0743; 1875-8312
• DOI: 10.1007/s10554-019-01714-6

The accelerated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) requires further study of the underlying pathophysiology and determination of the at-risk RA phenotype. Our objectives were to describe the cardiac structure and function and arterial stiffness, and association with disease phenotype in patients with established) RA, in comparison to healthy controls, as measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). 76 patients with established RA and no history of CVD/diabetes mellitus were assessed for RA and cardiovascular profile and underwent a non-contrast 3T-CMR, and compared to 26 healthy controls. A univariable analysis and multivariable linear regression model determined associations between baseline variables and CMR-measures. Ten-year cardiovascular risk scores were increased in RA compared with controls. Adjusting for age, sex and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, patients with RA had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (mean difference − 2.86% (− 5.17, − 0.55) p = 0.016), reduced absolute values of mid systolic strain rate (p