Yildiz, MSoy, MKurum, TOzbay, G2024-06-122024-06-1220040828-282X1916-7075https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14551/18743BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic immune and inflammatory disease associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an index of arterial stiffness and a marker of cardiovascular events. OBJECTIVE: To investigate arterial stiffness using carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV measurements in young patients with RA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eight patients (aged 21 to 34 years, seven women, mean RA duration 13.8+/-12.6 months) with RA according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, and eight age- and sex-matched control subjects (aged 22 to 34 years, seven women) were recruited. Aortic PWV was determined using an automatic device, the Complior (Complior Colson, France), which allowed on-tine pulse wave recording and automatic calculation of PWV RESULTS: The carotid-femoral PWV, systolic blood pressure and heart rate were higher in young patients with RA than in sex- and age-matched control subjects (P=0.03, P=0.02 and P=0.002, respectively). In the young patients with RA, pulse wave propagation time between measurement sites was significantly shorter than in the control group (P=0.02). There were no significant differences in the sex, age, body mass index, waist to hip ratio, diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure or pulse pressure between the two groups (P=1.00, P=0.71, P=0.20, P=0.66, P=0.55, P=0.07 and P=0.11, respectively). CONCLUSION: The carotid-femoral PWV is increased and Pulse wave propagation time is decreased in young patients with RA. Measurements of carotid-femoral PWV may provide a simple and noninvasive technique for identifying patients at increased risk of vascular disease.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessArterial StiffnessPulse Wave Propagation TimePulse Wave VelocityRheumatoid ArthritisHeart-RateArterial DistensibilityRiskDiseaseAtherosclerosisMortalityArticle201110971100Q3WOS:0002239688000042-s2.0-464431528415457305Q1