Evaluation of heart dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The high prevalence of cardiovascular disease is independent of known risk factors in RA patients. The present study aimed to estimate the left ventricular diastolic function in patients suffering from RA using conventional Doppler and tissue Doppler echocardiographic imaging (TDI). This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 patients who had an established diagnosis of RA for over five years (2, 7, 9) and referred to the Rheumatology Department and Clinic of Ghaem Hospital, affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Patients with normal electrocardiography, chest examination, and chest radiography were subjected to M-mode, two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Data analysis was performed with the SPSS statistical software package (version 11.5). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. According to the results, mitral and tricuspid insufficiencies were the most common valvular diseases (72.5% and 52%, respectively). In 70% of the patients, diastolic function was normal. A significant relationship was observed between systolic function and diastolic abnormality (P=0.001). Pulmonary hypertension was detected in 40% of patients. Nevertheless, no significant relationship was observed between E and Em or between A and Am (P=0.432, P=0.844, respectively). The Mann-Whitney U test revealed a statistical difference between the two groups in terms of EF, which was significantly lower in the diastolic dysfunction group (P=0.047). A wide and frequent variety of cardiac diseases, especially mitral, aortic, and tricuspid regurgitation, may be found in RA patients. It can be concluded that active RA patients have a significantly high incidence of diastolic dysfunction in the absence of clinical evidence of heart disease.