Publication:

Cardiac function abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis and its association with duration of disease: a hospital-based case control study

Background Rheumatoid Arthritis is associated with many extra-articular manifestations including cardiac abnormalities, which increases the risk of morbidity and premature death. Sub-clinical cardiac abnormalities occur many years before their clinically overt manifestations. The objective of the present study is to compare cardiac function abnormality in rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls by echocardiography and to determine its relation with duration of disease.

Methods A hospital based case control study was conducted at a tertiary care centre of northern India including 70 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 70 controls. All subjects were evaluated by Electrocardiography and Trans-thoracic Echocardiography to determine cardiac function abnormalities.

Results ECG abnormalities were detected in 30% of RA cases as compared to only 7.1% of controls. Most common ECG abnormality was LV diastolic dysfunction (p=0.001), followed by pericardial effusion. A weak positive correlation was found between duration of disease and IVRT (r=0.329, p=0.005) indicating worsening of cardiac function with increasing duration of disease.

Conclusions Echocardiographic abnormalities are fairly common among RA patients with LV diastolic dysfunction being most common. Cardiac abnormalities increase with duration and severity of disease.