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MONDAY, Nov. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) may be a useful tool in cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment among female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published in the October issue of the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Miguel Bernardes, M.D., from the University of Porto in Portugal, and colleagues assessed CCS (using computed tomography) in 60 female patients with RA (mean age, 53.6 years; disease duration, 14.7 years) to determine its association with laboratory, imaging, and clinical disease parameters.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that CCS >10 was significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors (age: odds ratio [OR], 1.120; body mass index [BMI] \u226525 kg\/m\u00b2: OR, 0.271; high-density lipoprotein [HDL]: OR, 0.011; low-density lipoprotein\/HDL ratio: OR, 2.084; apolipoprotein A1 [ApoA1]: OR, 0.965; apolipoprotein B (ApoB)\/ApoA1 ratio: OR, 59.834; homocysteine: OR, 1.287; diabetes: OR, 10.400), disease parameters (C-reactive protein [CRP]: OR, 1.038; Disease Activity Score [DAS(4v)]: OR, 1.900; Health Assessment Questionnaire: OR, 3.299; erosion score: OR, 1.015; total modified Sharp\/van der Heijde Score: OR, 1.008), biomarkers (osteoprotegerin: OR, 1.505), and bone mineral density (femoral: OR, 0.005; lumbar spine: OR, 0.001; left hand: OR, 7.9 \u00d7 10\u22129<\/sup>; osteoporosis: OR, 6.628). Significant associations remained for ApoA1, ApoB\/ApoA1 ratio, homocysteine, CRP, DAS(4v), DAS(4v; CRP), DAS(3v), and DAS(3v; CRP), when adjusting for age and BMI.<\/p>\n “Our work reinforces the hypothesis that in RA, CCS may be a useful tool in CV risk assessment, particularly valuable in poorer controlled patients with certain lipoprotein profiles,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n