Helga Midtbø

Disease activity and left ventricular structure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE Increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness/internal diameter ratio (relative wall thickness) was recently reported in RA patients. The aim of this study was to assess the association between LV relative wall thickness and RA disease activity. METHODS Clinical and echocardiographic data from 129 RA patients without established cardiovascular disease and 102 controls were used. RA disease activity was assessed by different composite scores and active RA defined by the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) level exceeding the cut-off for remission (SDAI >3.3). RESULTS The RA patients were on average 61.3 years old, 77% were women and 67% had active RA (SDAI >3.3). Patients with active RA had greater LV relative wall thickness and included more patients with treated hypertension (all P < 0.05), but had LV mass index and blood pressure comparable to patients in remission. Having active RA by the SDAI score (β = 0.20, P = 0.008) was also independently associated with greater LV relative wall thickness after adjusting for systolic blood pressure, wall stress, age and sex in a multivariate model. This association was robust also in secondary models including other disease activity composite scores such as the Clinical Disease Activity Index and 28-joint DAS. CONCLUSION Among RA patients, higher disease activity was independently associated with greater LV relative wall thickness, reflecting subclinical heart disease. The findings point to the importance of disease activity control in RA patients to prevent progression to clinical heart disease.

Disease activity is associated with reduced left ventricular systolic myocardial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives Disease activity has emerged as a new, independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We tested if disease activity in RA was associated with lower left ventricular (LV) systolic function independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Methods Echocardiographic assessment was performed in 78 patients with RA having low, moderate or high disease activity (Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) >3.3), 41 patients in remission (SDAI ≤3.3) and 46 controls, all without known cardiac disease. LV systolic function was assessed by biplane Simpson ejection fraction, stress-corrected midwall shortening (scMWS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS). Results Patients with active RA had higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes compared with patients in remission and controls (both p<0.05). LV ejection fraction (endocardial function) was normal in all three groups, while mean scMWS and GLS (myocardial function) were reduced in patients with RA with active disease compared with patients with RA in remission (95±18% vs 105±17% and −18.9±3.1% vs −20.6±3.5%, respectively, both p<0.01). Patients with RA in remission had similar scMWS and GLS as the controls. In multivariable analyses, having active RA was associated with lower GLS (β=0.21) and scMWS (β=−0.22, both p<0.05), both reflecting lower LV systolic myocardial function, independent of cardiovascular risk factors and LV ejection fraction. Classification of RA disease activity by other disease activity composite scores yielded similar results. Conclusions Active RA is associated with lower LV systolic myocardial function despite normal ejection fraction and independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Higher pulse pressure/stroke volume index is associated with impaired outcome in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy the LIFE study

Abstract We tested the prognostic impact of a marker of arterial stiffness, pulse pressure/stroke volume index (PP/SVi), in patients with hypertension and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. We used data from 866 patients randomized to losartan or atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment, over a median of 4.8 years, in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study. The association of PP/SVi with outcomes was tested in Cox regression analyses and reported as hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). In multivariate regression, reduction of PP/SVi was independently associated with male gender, reduction in systolic blood pressure (BP) and relative wall thickness and with an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (all p < .05). After adjusting for confounders, higher baseline PP/SVi predicted a 38% higher hazard of combined major fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events (95% CI 1.04–1.84), and higher hazard of cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.35 (95% CI 1.59–3.48) and stroke (HR 1.45 (95% CI 1.06–1.99) (all p < .05). Higher PP/SVi also predicts higher rate of hospitalization for HF (HR 2.15 (95% CI 1.48–3.12) and a 52% higher hazard of all-cause mortality (95% CI 1.10–2.09) (both p < .05). In hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic LV hypertrophy, higher PP/SVi was associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The association of hypertension with asymptomatic cardiovascular organ damage in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background: The association of hypertension with asymptomatic cardiovascular organ damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been little studied by echocardiography. Methods: Echocardiography was done in 134 RA patients and 102 healthy controls. Left ventricular (LV) geometry was considered abnormal if LV mass index or relative wall thickness was increased. LV diastolic dysfunction was considered present if septal early diastolic tissue velocity <8 cm/s. Systemic arterial compliance (SAC) was assessed from stroke volume index/pulse pressure ratio. Results: The hypertensive RA patients (n = 72) had higher inflammatory activity, older age and more diabetes than the normotensive RA patients (n = 62) (all p < 0.05). Rates of abnormal LV geometry, LV diastolic dysfunction and lower SAC were higher among the hypertensive RA patients (p < 0.05), but similar between normotensive RA patients and controls. Hypertension was associated with a 3-fold higher prevalence both for abnormal LV geometry (odds ratio 2.89 [95% confidence interval 1.09–7.63], p = 0.03) and for diastolic LV dysfunction (odds ratio 2.92 [95% confidence interval 1.14–7.46], p = 0.03) as well as lower SAC (β = 0.31, p = 0.001) independent of age, gender, diabetes and inflammatory activity measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusion: The presence of asymptomatic cardiovascular organ damage in RA patients is closely associated with hypertension independent of inflammatory activity.

Echocardiographic aortic valve calcification and outcomes in women and men with aortic stenosis

Objective Sex differences in risk factors of aortic valve calcification (AVC) by echocardiography have not been reported from a large prospective study in aortic stenosis (AS). Methods AVC was assessed using a prognostically validated visual score and grouped into none/mild or moderate/severe AVC in 1725 men and women with asymptomatic AS in the Simvastatin Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis study. The severity of AS was assessed by the energy loss index (ELI) taking pressure recovery in the aortic root into account. Results More men than women had moderate/severe AVC at baseline despite less severe AS by ELI (p<0.01). Moderate/severe AVC at baseline was independently associated with lower aortic compliance and more severe AS in both sexes, and with increased high-sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) only in men (all p<0.01). In Cox regression analyses, moderate/severe AVC at baseline was associated with a 2.5-fold (95% CI 1.64 to 3.80) higher hazard rate of major cardiovascular events in women, and a 2.2-fold higher hazard rate in men (95% CI 1.54 to 3.17) (both p<0.001), after adjustment for age, hypertension, study treatment, aortic compliance, left ventricular (LV) mass and systolic function, AS severity and hs-CRP. Moderate/severe AVC at baseline also predicted a 1.8-fold higher hazard rate of all-cause mortality in men (95% CI 1.04 to 3.06, p<0.05) independent of age, AS severity, LV mass and aortic compliance, but not in women. Conclusion In conclusion, AVC scored by echocardiography has sex-specific characteristics in AS. Moderate/severe AVC is associated with higher cardiovascular morbidity in both sexes, and with higher all-cause mortality in men. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00092677

Masked hypertension in obesity: potential predictors and arterial damage.

Background Masked hypertension (MHT), defined as normal office blood pressure (BP) but high ambulatory BP, has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Although MHT has been associated with obesity, there is limited knowledge on the prevalence and covariates of MHT in obese cohorts. Methods Office and ambulatory BP recordings and other cardiovascular risk factors were assessed in 323 obese participants included in the fat-associated cardiovascular dysfunction study (mean age 48.9±9.0 years, 55% women, mean BMI 32.3±4.4 kg/m2). Office BP 130–139/85–89 mmHg was considered high-normal. Subclinical arterial damage was identified as carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity more than 10 m/s by applanation tonometry or carotid plaque by ultrasound (maximal intima–media thickness ≥1.5 mm). Results MHT was present in 17.1% of the population. Patients with MHT had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome, high-normal office BP, and were more often male compared with the normotensive (NT) individuals (all P<0.05), but were younger and had lower prevalence of diabetes and subclinical arterial damage than the sustained hypertensive group (all P<0.05). In multinomial logistic regression analysis, MHT was associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome and high-normal office BP compared with NT individuals, and lower pulse wave velocity and fewer carotid plaques than sustained hypertension (all P<0.05). Conclusion In obese patients, MHT was associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome and high-normal office BP compared with NT individuals, but less subclinical arterial damage than sustained hypertensive patients.

Response to: ‘Disease activity and left ventricular systolic function in rheumatoid arthritis’ by Giollo et al

We thank Giollo et al 1 for their interest and comments to our paper.2 In this paper, we demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity was associated with lower left ventricular (LV) myocardial systolic function when assessed by stress-corrected midwall shortening (scMWS) or global longitudinal strain (GLS).2 Further, we found that this association was independent of the presence of a normal ejection fraction and traditional cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension and smoking. In a letter to the editor, Giollo et al 1 present data from a series of 235 patients with RA.3 …

Ankylosing Spondylitis Is Associated with Increased Prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Objective. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is a strong precursor for clinical CVD. The aim of our study was to assess whether having AS was associated with increased prevalence of LV hypertrophy. Methods. Clinical and echocardiographic data from 139 AS patients and 126 age- and sex-matched controls was used. LV mass was calculated according to guidelines and indexed to height2.7. LV hypertrophy was considered present if LV mass index was > 49.2 g/m2.7 in men and > 46.7 g/m2.7 in women. Results. Patients with AS were on average 49 ± 12 years old, and 60% were men. The prevalence of hypertension (HTN; 35% vs 41%) and diabetes (5% vs 2%) was similar among patients and controls, while patients with AS had higher serum C-reactive protein level (CRP; p < 0.001). The prevalence of LV hypertrophy was higher in patients with AS compared to controls (15% vs 6%, p = 0.01). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, having AS was associated with OR 6.3 (95% CI 2.1–19.3, p = 0.001) of having LV hypertrophy independent of the presence of HTN, diabetes, and obesity. In multivariable linear regression analyses, having AS was also associated with higher LV mass (β 0.15, p = 0.007) after adjusting for CVD risk factors including sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, and serum CRP (multiple R2 = 0.41, p < 0.001). Conclusion. Having AS was associated with increased prevalence of LV hypertrophy independent of CVD risk factors. This finding strengthens the indication for thorough CVD risk assessment in patients with AS.

Left Ventricular Systolic Myocardial Function in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Subclinical left ventricular (LV) myocardial dysfunction is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known whether subclinical LV myocardial dysfunction is present in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) independent of CVD risk factors.

FRI0133 Does rheumatoid arthritis predispose to abnormal left ventricular geometry

Background Left ventricular (LV) geometry is a strong predictor of cardiovascular death. Less is known about the relation between LV geometry and RA. Objectives Our objective was to study if RA or RA disease activity was associated with abnormal LV geometry measured as increased LV relative wall thickness (RWT) or mass (LVM). Methods Echocardiography, clinical and laboratory assessment was performed in 137 RA patients without prior myocardial infarction or valvular disease and 50 healthy controls. Age-adjusted RWT and LVM were calculated by validated equations. Results The RA group was older, had higher blood pressure (BP) and included more women compared to controls (all p<0.01). Among RA patients, higher RWT correlated with higher systolic BP, wall stress, and RA disease activity measured by modified health assessment questionnaire (MHAQ), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), simple DAI (SDAI) and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS-28) in univariate analyses (all p<0.05). Wall stress and systolic BP were the main covariates of higher RWT in multivariate analyses both among RA patients and controls (all p<0.01). However, the analyses showed that among RA patients, RWT was associated with 4 different disease activity measures independently of gender, systolic BP and wall stress (Table). Higher LVM was independently associated with higher systolic BP, age and body weight, male gender and lower LV ejection fraction (all p<0.05), but was not associated with markers of RA disease activity. Image/graph Conclusions Abnormal LV geometry is associated with markers of increased disease activity in RA, independent of systolic BP and wall stress, pointing to the importance of disease activity control in RA patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared