Anatomical Distribution and Extent of Carotid Plaque in Early Inflammatory Polyarthritis.

摘要

OBJECTIVE: To compare the extent and anatomical distribution of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid artery segments between patients with early Inflammatory Polyarthritis (IP) and age- and sex-matched controls, and to assess associated cardiovascular and disease-specific risk factors. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (June 2022 to April 2023), 349 patients (70% female; age 50.74 years; 41.81-58.34) and 115 matched controls (66% female; age 52.28 years; 42.29-58.42) underwent carotid ultrasound examination. Associations between plaques and cardiovascular were assessed. RESULTS: Plaques were significantly more common among patients than controls (46.1% vs. 27.8%, p = 0.0006), particularly in the carotid bulb (34.7% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.0032) and ICA (17.2% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.0144). Bilateral plaques were significantly more common among patients than controls (19.5% vs. 9.6%, p = 0.014). Among the traditional cardiovascular risk factors, age, hypertension, smoking, and prior CVD were significantly associated with plaques in the carotid bulb and ICA, whereas disease activity (DAS28) and the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor were not. CONCLUSION: Patients with early IP have a higher prevalence and wider anatomical distribution of carotid plaques than matched controls, with the carotid bulb and ICA the most frequently affected sites. These findings highlight the need for early cardiovascular screening in patients with IP, focusing on high-risk anatomical sites.