Prevalence and Factors Associated with Subclinical Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction Evaluated by Mid-Wall Mechanics in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cancer in adult patients with inflammatory arthritis is associated with high ascending aortic stiffness and left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction

Inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), are associated with both cancer and cardiovascular (CV) adverse events. Cancer and CV abnormalities have coincident etiologic and pathophysiologic pathways in RA/PsA/AS patients. However, a comprehensive evaluation of CV system has never been performed in these patients in relation to the presence of cancer. This study was designed to assess the possible relationships between CV abnormalities and cancer among RA/PsA/AS patients. Between March 2014 and March 2015, 414 patients (214 RA, 125 PsA, and 75 SA) in sinus rhythm without known cardiac disease underwent clinical and color Doppler echocardiographic evaluation and were prospectively followed up. Patients had a mean age of 58 ± 12 years, 64% women. Forty-two patients (10.1%) had a diagnosis of cancer (made before enrollment in 24 cases and in 18 cases during the 36 months of follow-up). Skin cancer was the most frequent malignancy found, followed by thyroid, colon, pancreas, and breast cancer. Patients who had cancer were older with higher systolic blood pressure, more frequent hypertension and moderate/high disease activity, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, and higher ascending aortic stiffness index (AOSI) than those who had not. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, LV diastolic dysfunction and abnormally high AOSI emerged as conditions associated with cancer together with older age and hypertension. Cancer in RA/PsA/AS adults without history of CV disease is closely associated with specific asymptomatic CV abnormalities, such as LV diastolic dysfunction and reduced vascular elasticity, which are independent of age and hypertension.

Predictors and prognostic role of low myocardial mechano-energetic efficiency in chronic inflammatory arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the variables associated with the status of low myocardial mechano-energetic efficiency (MEE) [the ratio between myocardial left ventricular (LV) work and magnitude of myocardial oxygen consumption] and whether low-MEE is a prognosticator of adverse cardiovascular outcome in patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis.

METHODS

A total of 432 outpatients with established chronic inflammatory arthritis without overt cardiac disease were recruited from March 2014-March 2016; 216 participants were used as comparison group. Low-MEE status was a priori identified by standard echocardiography at rest as less than 0.32 ml/s per g (5th percentile of MEE calculated in 145 healthy individuals). The pre-specified primary end-point of the study was a composite of cardiovascular death/hospitalization. Follow-up ended September 2019.

RESULTS

MEE was significantly lower in chronic inflammatory arthritis patients than controls (0.35 ± 0.11 vs. 0.45 ± 0.10 ml/s per g; P < 0.001). Low-MEE was detected in 164 patients (38%). Independent predictors of low-MEE were older age, higher SBP, diabetes mellitus, LV concentric geometry and lower LV systolic function. During a follow-up of 36 (21-48) months, a primary end-point occurred in 37 patients (8.6%): 22/164 patients with low-MEE (13.4%) and 15/268 (5.6%) without low-MEE (P = 0.004). Low-MEE predicted primary end-points in multivariate Cox regression analysis [heart rate 2.23 (confidence interval 1.13-4.38), P = 0.02] together with older age, lower renal function and higher LV mass.

CONCLUSION

Low-MEE is detectable in more than one-third of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis and is associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors and abnormalities in LV geometry and systolic function. In these patients low-MEE is a powerful prognosticator of adverse cardiovascular events.

Disease Activity and Anticitrullinated Peptide Antibody Positivity Predict the Worsening of Ventricular Function in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective

This prospective study was designed to analyze the incidence and the factors associated with impairment in left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) overtime in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without overt cardiac disease. In particular, we verified the hypothesis that a relationship between worsening of LVSF and markers of RA disease activity exists.

Methods

One hundred forty outpatients with RA without overt heart disease underwent clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic evaluation at baseline and after 35 (interquartile range [IQR] 23‐47) months of follow‐up. A clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score greater than 10 indicated the presence of moderate‐high RA disease activity; data on anticitrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) positivity were recorded at baseline. Stress‐corrected midwall fractional shortening (sc‐MFS) was used as a measure of LVSF and was considered impaired if less than 86.5%.

Results

At 36 (IQR 23‐47) months follow‐up, impaired sc‐MFS was detected in 60 of 140 (43%) patients, compared with 80 patients with normal sc‐MFS. Disease duration and activity, ACPA positivity, inflammatory markers, cardiovascular and antirheumatic therapies, and sc‐MFS were similar between the two groups at baseline. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed ACPA positivity, moderate‐high disease activity (CDAI greater than 10), and disease duration as independent predictors of impaired sc‐MFS at follow‐up. Finally, a simple clinical score to predict worsening of LVSF at midterm was built (area under the curve of 0.80, with a sensibility and specificity of 78% and 82%, respectively).

Conclusion

Disease duration, ACPA positivity, and moderate‐high disease activity are independent prognosticators of LVSF impairment in RA. Adverse changes in heart function could be prevented by good control of inflammation and modulation of autoimmunity.

Chronic Heart Failure in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients (Part II): Difficulties of Diagnosis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by a twofold increase in morbidity and mortality due to chronic heart failure (CHF). At the same time, the prevalence of CHF among RA patients is significantly underestimated. The aim of the review was to analyze the results of the main studies on the features of the clinical presentation of heart failure (HF) in RA patients, the role of visualization techniques and biomarkers in the diagnosis of HF and preclinical dysfunction of the myocardium. HF in patients with RA is characterized by a predominance of HF with a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The use of clinical diagnostic criteria in RA patients can lead to both over- or underdiagnosis of CHF. Systolic dysfunction estimated by LVEF is rare in RA and does not reflect the real frequency of myocardial dysfunction. Echocardiography (ECHO-CG) with tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) and visualization of myocardial deformation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart in RA patients revealed a high frequency of HF with preserved ejection fraction, left ventricular remodeling and hypertrophy, pre-clinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Determination of natriuretic peptides is useful for verifying the diagnosis of HF and estimating the prognosis in this cohort, despite the possible decrease in the sensitivity and specificity of these indicators in RA patients. The review discusses the advantages of MRI of the heart, including quantitative T1 and T2 regimens, in the diagnosis of myocarditis, myocardial fibrosis, and myocardial perfusion disorders in RA patients. In order to verify the diagnosis of heart failure and detect pre-clinical myocardial dysfunction in RA patients, the determination of natriuretic peptides concentration should become part of the routine examination, beginning with the debut of the disease, along with the collection of a cardiological history, physical examination, ECHO-CT with TDE, and visualization of myocardial deformation. Evaluation of the quantitative characteristics of tissue according to MRI of the heart could improve the diagnosis of myocardial damage.

Prognostic Role of Subclinical Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction Evaluated by Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND

Speckle-tracking echocardiography allows early detection of subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this prospective study, we assessed the prevalence and the prognostic role of subclinical LVSD detected by speckle-tracking echocardiography in RA patients.

METHODS

Two-dimensional global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) were measured in 209 RA patients without overt cardiac disease. LVSD was defined as low GLS (> -16.0%), low GCS (> -17.8%), or both. The primary end point was all-causes hospitalization; the coprimary end point was hospitalization for cardiovascular causes.

RESULTS

The study population had a mean age of 58 ± 11 years; 67% were female, 52% had hypertension, and the RA duration was 14 ± 10 years. Low GLS was detected in 51 patients (24%), low GCS in 42 patients (20%), and combined low GLS and GCS in 18 patients (9%). During a median follow-up time of 16 months (range, 10-21 months), a primary end point occurred in 50 patients (24%), and 25 patients were hospitalized for a cardiovascular event. Multiple Cox regression analyses revealed that combined low GLS and GCS was independently associated with the end point defined as all-causes hospitalization together with higher aortic stiffness. Examined individually, neither low GCS nor low GLS showed an independent association with this typology of clinical outcome. Conversely, both low GCS and low GLS (examined individually or as combined low GLS and GCS) emerged as strong independent prognosticators of cardiovascular events.

CONCLUSIONS

Subclinical LVSD defined as low GLS, GCS, or both is common in RA patients without overt cardiac disease and provides additional prognostic information in these individuals.

Prevalence of left ventricular dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis

Background:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a polyarticular disorder with many extra-articular features. Cardiovascular disorders, including heart failure (HF), are the leading causes of mortality in RA patients. We studied the prevalence of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in patients with RA.

Materials and Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 100 consecutive patients with RA (aged >18 years and duration >1 year) for the presence of LVD. We excluded patients with known cardiac and systemic disorders that may contribute to LVD. LVD is defined by the presence of either left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) or left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), evaluated by the echocardiography. Descriptive statistics and relevant tests were used to analyze the results.

Results:

The study participants (n = 100; 80F and 20M) had a mean age of 45 ± 11.8 years, duration of disease 7.4 ± 5.4 years, and disease activity score of 3.5 ± 1.1. A total of 46 patients had symptoms of HF, but only 14% of them had signs of HF. LVD was seen in 59 (LVSD-4, LVDD-50, and both together in 5) patients, and none of the participants had severe grades of LVSD and LVDD. LVD showed no relation to the age of the patients (P = 0.186) and it was more with increasing duration of RA (P < 0.001) and higher disease activity (P = 0.042).

Conclusion:

LVD is more common in RA patients, which increases the associated morbidity and mortality. Higher threshold is required by the family practitioners to perform a screening echocardiography in long-standing RA patients.