PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lihi Eder
AU  - Devy Zisman
AU  - Menashe Barzilai
AU  - Arie Laor
AU  - Michal Rahat
AU  - Michael Rozenbaum
AU  - Haim Bitterman
AU  - Joy Feld
AU  - Doron Rimar
AU  - Itzhak Rosner
TI  - Subclinical atherosclerosis in psoriatic arthritis: a case-control study.
DP  - 2008 May 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 877--882
VI  - 35
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/35/5/877.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/35/5/877.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2008 May 01; 35
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHODS: Forty patients with PsA were enrolled. Controls were matched by age, sex, and atherosclerotic risk factors. All patients and controls underwent duplex scan of the carotid arteries. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was evaluated and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques was recorded. The plaques were graded and carotid plaque index was calculated. RESULTS: Patients with PsA had a higher IMT (mean +/- standard deviation, 1.04 +/- 0.35 mm vs 0.88 +/- 0.29 mm in controls; p = 0.03), and had a higher carotid plaque index than did matched controls (2.3 +/- 2.6, compared to 1.12 +/- 2.09; p = 0.03). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that PsA status as well as age and triglyceride levels were associated with the presence of carotid plaque. Other traditional risk factors were more prevalent among patients with PsA; however, they were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that patients with PsA may have an increased prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis. These findings may not be solely attributable to traditional risk factors alone. Special attention and strict control of atherosclerotic risk factors in patients with PsA is warranted.