Background/Purpose

AS and PsA patients without clinically evident cardiovascular disease have a high prevalence of subclinical cardiovascular disease in form of increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaques compared to matched controls.

To evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis by determining carotid IMT and the presence of atheromatous plaques in a sample of patients with PsA and AS, and analyze its relationship with genetic, demographic, clinical and analytical characteristics.

Methods Observational and cross-sectional study of 86 spondyloarthritis patients (48 PsA according CASPAR classification criteria and 38 AS according to the New York modified criteria) were randomly selected from our cohort in 2013. We recorded age and sex of patients, disease duration, joint count, VAS for pain and for global disease activity, BASDAI and BASFI score, ESR, CRP, HLA-B27 and Cw0602, CV risk factors as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking status, glycemia, lipid profile and BMI. IMT (mm) and carotid plaques were measured in the right common carotid artery and the study was performed using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Continuous variables were compared using Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Proportions were compared by chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Correlation between carotid IMT and continuous variables was tested via estimation of Pearson’s partial correlation coefficient adjusted by age at the time of the study. Two-sided P values less than 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS 17.0 program. It was considered p <0.05 as significant.

Results Carotid IMT was 0.66 (0.16) and correlated with age (rho = 0.444, p< 0.0001), abdominal circumference (r = 0.409, p= 0.001) and CRP level (r = 0.496, p= 0.001). Uveitis and dactylitis were associated with higher IMT (0.74 vs 0.62, p= 0.046; 0.84 vs 0.62, p 0.023). Also high blood pressure was associated with higher IMT (0.73 vs 0.59, p= 0.02). Patients with history for hypertension had higher carotid IMT (p 0.013). All the other variables were not significantly associated with IMT. Patients with PsA had slightly greater carotid artery IMT than AS (0.67 vs 0.60, p = 0.076).

Conclusion In our patients with SAp the carotid intima-media thickness is associated with older age, hypertension, obesity, higher C-reactive protein serum levels, dactylitis and uveitis.

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-subclinical-atherosclerosis-in-patients-with-spondyloarthritis-without-clinically-evident-cardiovascular-disease-using-carotid-intima-media-thickness/