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Open Access 01-02-2019 | Genes and Disease

Common atherosclerosis genetic risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: the relevance of disease duration

Authors: Bartłomiej Kisiel, Robert Kruszewski, Aleksandra Juszkiewicz, Anna Raczkiewicz, Artur Bachta, Krzysztof Kłos, Krzysztof Duda, Artur Maliborski, Konrad Szymański, Rafał Płoski, Marek Saracyn, Stanisław Niemczyk, Katarzyna Kisiel, Małgorzata Tłustochowicz, Witold Tłustochowicz

Published in: Rheumatology International | Issue 2/2019

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic autoimmune disease characterized by increased cardiovascular morbidity. Several previous studies assessed associations between common atherosclerotic genetic risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) in RA patients, yet most of them gave negative results. We undertook a cross-sectional study to evaluate the association between previously reported SNPs and subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of Polish RA patients. 29 SNPs associated with atherosclerosis in general population were genotyped in 289 RA patients: 116 patients with SA (increased carotid intima–media thickness and/or presence of carotid plaque) and 173 patients without SA. To assess the cumulative effect of SNPs we calculated 3 weighted genetic risk scores: GRS_IMT, GRS_CP and GRS_CAD, comprising intima–media thickness-associated SNPs, carotid plaque-associated SNPs and coronary artery disease-associated SNPs, respectively. None of the SNPs showed a significant association with SA. However, we found an association between SA and GRS_IMT. Interestingly, this association was limited to patients with short disease duration (P = 0.00004 vs. P > 0.5, for comparison of GRS_IMT among patients within the 1st quartile of disease duration vs. others, respectively). Patients within the 1st quartile of disease duration were more frequently disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)-naïve and less frequently treated with biologics. Our study suggests that in patients with early RA subclinical atherosclerosis may be driven by similar genetic factors as in general population, while in long-lasting disease, the role common genetic risk factors may decrease. Possibly, this effect may be due to the influence of DMARDs.

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Title: Common atherosclerosis genetic risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: the relevance of disease duration
Authors: Bartłomiej Kisiel
Robert Kruszewski
Aleksandra Juszkiewicz
Anna Raczkiewicz
Artur Bachta
Krzysztof Kłos
Krzysztof Duda
Artur Maliborski
Konrad Szymański
Rafał Płoski
Marek Saracyn
Stanisław Niemczyk
Katarzyna Kisiel
Małgorzata Tłustochowicz
Witold Tłustochowicz
Publication date: 01-02-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Rheumatology International / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 0172-8172
Electronic ISSN: 1437-160X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-018-4186-y

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