A cross‐sectional study of diastolic dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis and its association with disease activity

Abstract

Prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in the rheumatoid arthritis group (47.2%) was not different from controls (50.9%). LV diastolic function had no significant correlation with RA disease severity and duration of disease.

Enhanced ventricular‐arterial coupling during a 2‐year physical activity programme in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective substudy of the physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis 2010 trial

“…There are conflicting results from previous studies that investigated connections between diastolic dysfunction and RA. While some trials concluded that there are correlations between left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and RA, other trials reported no significant correlations regarding the two conditions . The present RA population exhibited a median E/A ratio below one while the median e’ was within the normal range, suggesting a grade 1 diastolic dysfunction (impaired relaxation).…”

The Impact of Different Classification Criteria Sets on the Estimated Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Diastolic Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…An association between RA duration and diastolic function parameters or/and dysfunction according to reported criteria was previously reported in some [ 10 – 16 ] but not all studies [ 20 , 21 , 23 , 52 ]. In the present investigation, RA duration was related to several diastolic function parameters in age-, sex-, and race-adjusted analysis.…”

Cardiovascular Imaging Techniques in Systemic Rheumatic Diseases

“…It was used by Rexhepaj et al ( 9 ) to show that RA patients had significantly different early diastolic flow velocity (E), atrial flow velocity (A), and E/A ratios from those of control subjects, a finding indicating that, even when the size and thickness of their left ventricle and their myocardial performance are still normal, RA patients may have subclinically impaired left and right ventricular (LV and RV) function. Some authors (but not others) have found correlations between impaired diastolic function and disease duration and extra-articular manifestations, thus strengthening the hypothesis that chronic systemic inflammation is related to cardiac remodeling ( 10 ). This view is also supported by the fact that treatment with antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents improves diastolic function and normalizes left ventricle morphology within 6–12 months ( 11 , 12 ).…”