RISK FACTORS FOR EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The main cause of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a cardiovascular pathology. To improve the prognosis of living in RA patients an early diagnostics of atherosclerosis, which lies in the base of it, is necessary. The purpose of the study is to estimate the intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries in RA patients depending on the degree of coronary risk. Doppler sonography of carotid arteries was performed in 125 patients with RA and in 20 healthy individuals. Clinical examination included the use of conventional methods of research in rheumatology. In 44,6 % patients with RA thickening of the intima-media complex has been revealed. The IMT dependence on the traditional risk factors (RF) is found. At the same time in the absence of the traditional RF the features of the course of RA (the presence of systemic manifestations, RA duration, and systemic inflammation severity) contribute to increased carotid IMT, especially in young patients. Thus, the presence of RA can be considered as a separate RF of atherosclerosis development. Measurement of IMT in RA patients with moderate risk of fatal complications can be used for early diagnosis of atherosclerosis in RA patients.