Effects of 6 months of abatacept treatment on aortic stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Figures & data

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with abatacept

Characteristic	Abatacept group (n=21)*
Age, years	65.2±13.7
Male/female	4/17
Smoking status, n (%)	1 (4.8%)
BMI, kg/m^2	23.8±4.7
Systolic blood pressure, mmHg	140.9±21.6
Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg	80.7±10.5
History of cardiovascular disease, n (%)	3 (14.3%)
Disease duration, years	21.5±10.0
Systolic BP, mmHg	140.0±21.6
Diastolic BP, mmHg	80.7±10.5
Positive RF, n (%)	10 (47.6)
Positive anti-CCP, n (%)	16 (76.2)
Erosive RA, n (%)	19 (90.5)
Swollen joint count	6.4±3.6
ESR, mm/h	34.2±39.5
CRP, mg/L	21.4±39.4
DAS28ESR	5.07±1.10
DAS28CRP	4.68±0.87
Statins or lipid-lowering treatments, n (%)	4 (19.0)
DMARDS, n (%)
Methotrexate	12 (57.1)
Leflunomide	2 (9.5)
Hydroxychloroquine	4 (20.0)
Sulfasalazine	2 (9.5)
Combination	3 (14.3)
None	5 (23.8)
Corticosteroids, n (%)	18 (85.7)
mg/day	9.7±9.2
NSAIDs, n (%)	2 (9.5)

Note:

* Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) unless otherwise specified.

Abbreviations: anti-CCP, anti-cyclic citrullinated protein; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28_CRP, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on C-reactive protein; DAS28_ESR, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RF, rheumatoid factor; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SD, standard deviation; n, number.

Table 2 Differences in parameters after 6 months of abatacept treatment

Parameter	Abatacept therapy (n=21)		Paired t-test or Wilcoxon test
	Baseline	6 months	P-value
PWV, m/s	8.5±3.9	9.8±2.9	0.02
Total cholesterol, mmol/L	4.95±0.99	5.36±0.84	0.08
HDL cholesterol, mmol/L	1.61±0.46	1.86±0.55	0.03
LDL cholesterol, mmol/L	2.69±0.64	2.79±0.65	0.68
Triglycerides, mmol/L	1.33±0.87	1.47±1.02	0.99
Atherogenic index	3.26±0.91	3.11±1.10	0.31
TJC	7.1±5.2	2.8±3.3	<0.001
SJC	6.4±3.6	3.5±3.8	<0.001
Patient pain VAS	66.4±16.1	40.9±22.8	<0.001
Patient activity VAS	65.3±17.3	40.1±22.2	<0.001
ESR, mm/h	34.2±39.5	26.5±28.1	0.12
CRP, mg/L	21.4±39.4	11.7±15.0	0.72
DAS28ESR	5.1±1.1	3.7±1.2	<0.001
DAS28CRP	4.7±0.9	3.4±1.1	<0.001
Steroids dose, mg/day	9.7±9.2	6.9±6.3	0.01

Notes: Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Values in bold are significant.

Abbreviations: CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28_CRP, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on C-reactive protein; DAS28_ESR, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; PWV, pulse wave velocity; SJC, swollen joint count; TJC, tender joint count; VAS, visual analog scale.

Table 3 Correlation between changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV) after 6 months of abatacept treatment and changes in other parameters

Changes in parameters	Changes in PWV
	r	P-value
DAS28ESR	0.46	0.035
DAS28CRP	0.43	0.058
CRP	0.02	0.93
Total cholesterol	−0.06	0.83
LDL cholesterol	0.02	0.94
HDL cholesterol	−0.39	0.046
Triglycerides	−0.33	0.20
Atherogenic index	0.11	0.67
Steroids dose	0.04	0.87

Note: Spearman’s test; values in bold are significant.

Abbreviations: CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28_CRP, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on C-reactive protein; DAS28_ESR, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein.

Table 4 Changes of pulse wave velocity (PWV) in rheumatoid arthritis patients according to disease activity and systemic inflammation

Time	n	Mean ± SD	P-value*
Patients in disease remission (DAS28 <2.6) at 6 months
PWV, m/s
Baseline	6	9.3±3.4
6 months	6	10.0±4.4	0.25
Patients not in disease remission (DAS28 >2.6) at 6 months
PWV, m/s
Baseline	15	8.19±4.14
6 months	15	9.66±2.40	0.04
Patients with no systemic inflammation at 6 months
PWV, m/s
Baseline	12	8.37±2.93
6 months	12	9.42±3.47	0.10
Patients with systemic inflammation at 6 months
PWV, m/s
Baseline	9	8.7±5.1
6 months	9	10.2±2.3	0.10

Note:

* Paired t-test or Wilcoxon test after repeated-measure analysis of variance.

Abbreviations: DAS28, Disease Activity Score on 28 joints; SD, standard deviation; ms, m/second; n, number.