Evaluation of carotid artery elastic function using ultrafast pulse wave velocity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

Ultrafast pulse wave velocity (UFPWV) is an innovative and practical technology that can assess blood vessel elastic function. This study explored the elastic function of the carotid artery using UFPWV and factors influencing pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Overall, 120 patients with RA and 60 healthy controls were evaluated. Participants underwent UFPWV and carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) assessment. The patients were classified into a mild activity group (group A) and a moderate-to-severe activity group (group B). Differences in clinical indicators among the groups were determined, and the correlation between each indicator and PWV values was analyzed. The PWV values were higher in group B than in group A and were higher in group A than in the control group (p<.05). The PWV values in the patient group positively correlated with anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody, disease course, age, platelets (PLT) count, rheumatoid factor (RF), body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC) level, and triglycerides (TG) level and were negatively correlated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels (p<.05). In addition, anti-CCP antibody, age, RF, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were risk factors for arteriosclerosis, whereas Hb and 25(OH)D3 were protective factors (p<.05). UFPWV allows early and accurate detection of changes in arterial elasticity and enables early intervention to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with RA.