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World J Orthop. Jul 18, 2014; 5(3): 328-335
Published online Jul 18, 2014. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v5.i3.328
Beyond the joint: Subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis
Antongiulio Scarno, Fabio Massimo Perrotta, Francesca Cardini, Alessia Carboni, Gianmarco Annibali, Ennio Lubrano, Antonio Spadaro
Antongiulio Scarno, Francesca Cardini, UOC Medicina E, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza - Università di Roma - Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
Fabio Massimo Perrotta, Alessia Carboni, Gianmarco Annibali, Antonio Spadaro, UOC di Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza-Università di Roma - Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
Ennio Lubrano, Academic Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Antonio Spadaro, Professor, UOC Medicina E, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza - Università di Roma - Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy. a.spadaro.reuma@virgilio.it
Telephone: +39-06-49974642 Fax: +39-06-49974642
Received: December 24, 2013
Revised: March 12, 2014
Accepted: April 25, 2014
Published online: July 18, 2014
Processing time: 206 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease associated with increased cardiovascular risk and higher mortality in respect to general population. Beyond joint disease, inflammation is the major determinant of accelerated atherosclerosis observed in rheumatoid arthritis. We review the relationship between inflammation, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis, focusing on the assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis by functional and morphological methods. These tools include flow mediated dilatation, carotid intima-media thickness, ankle/brachial index, coronary calcium content, pulse wave analysis and serum biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Flow mediated dilatiation; Intima-media thickness; Inflammation

Core tip: In this paper we briefly review the role of subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis, its relationship with inflammatory process and the current available method to detect early atherosclerotic changes.