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Patients at Risk of RA May Already Have Abnormal Aortic Stiffness
Key clinical point: Cardiac MRI detected abnormal aortic stiffness in patients at risk of developing RA.
Major finding: Aortic distensibility was lower in the group at risk of RA (3.6 x 10–3 per mm Hg) versus the healthy controls (4.9 x 10–3 per mm Hg).
Study details: A cohort study of 18 individuals at risk of developing RA and 30 healthy controls who all underwent cardiac MRI to measure aortic stiffness.
Disclosures: The study was supported by the U.K. National Institute for Health Research. One author reported being funded by a National Institute for Health Research grant; another reported being funded by a British Heart Foundation Personal Chair.
Fent G et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019 Mar 9. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-214975.