Exercise Echocardiography in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Methods

To assess the role of exercise echocardiography (EE) in the evaluation of patients with RA, follow-up (mean, 6.7±3.7 years) was retrospectively obtained in 159 patients with RA who underwent EE. Patients were matched for age, gender, and cardiovascular risk factors with 454 controls who underwent EE.

Results

Patients with RA were more likely to have positive results for ischemia on EE (odds ratio, 2.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-3.64; P=.0003). Rest and exercise wall motion score indexes were higher in the RA group (1.14±0.33 and 1.22±0.39, respectively, vs 1.06±0.18 and 1.10±0.24 in controls; P < .005 for each). Logistic regression adjusted for age revealed an increased odds ratio for myocardial ischemia of 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.11; P=.005) per year of RA. Five-year all-cause mortality in subjects with RA with myocardial ischemia on EE was 14.9%, compared with 4.3% in RA subjects without ischemia (P=.028).

Conclusion

RA was associated with a 2-fold increased risk for myocardial ischemia on EE; risk increased with the duration of RA. Mortality was increased in patients with RA with ischemia on EE.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Exercise echocardiography, Coronary artery disease, Collagen vascular disease, Stress echocardiography, Ischemia, Autoimmune