Title:Predictors of Cardiovascular Affection in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
Author(s): Eman M. Ibrahem*, Salwa S. El-gendi, Amal A. Mahmoud, Sherif M. Abdel-Aal, Fatma H. El Nouby and Hanan Sharaf El-Deen Mohammed
Affiliation:
- Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut,Egypt
Keywords:
Rheumatoid arthritis, matrix metalloproteinases, atherosclerosis, randomized clinical trial, combination therapy,
CIMT.
Abstract: Objective: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial that aimed to assess
subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by measuring carotid
artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and correlating it with disease activity and inflammatory
markers (including levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3(MMP-3) and matrix metalloproteinase-9
(MMP-9)) and to detect the effectiveness of agents that inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
as doxycycline in RA therapy.
Methods: One hundred and sixty RA patients were assigned in a randomized clinical trial (clinicaltrial.
gov NCT03194204). Disease activity score 28(DAS28), laboratory markers, including erythrocyte
sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), MMP-3, and MMP-9 were evaluated and
mean CIMT was measured. Subjects were allocated randomly into one of two treatment arms, either
methotrexate (MTX) alone or MTX with doxycycline 200mg per day orally. Follow up ESR,
CRP, DAS28, MMP-3, and MMP-9 levels were re-evaluated after 3 months.
Results: There were positive significant correlations between CIMT and disease duration
(r = 0.461, p = 0.001), age (r=0.459, p= 0.001), DAS28 score (r= 0.547, p = 0.001), ESR (r =0.413,
p = 0.001), CRP (r = 0.281, p = 0.001), MMP-3 (r = 0.476, p = 0.001), and MMP-9 (r = 0.593,
p =0.001). Patients treated with MTX and doxycycline showed lower levels of DAS28, ESR, CRP,
MMP-3, and MMP-9 and this was statistically significant.
Conclusion: CIMT seems to be the ultimate method to screen for subclinical atherosclerosis in RA
patients. MMP-3 and 9 play a key role in both RA synovitis and cardiovascular changes, making
them important therapeutic targets, especially with safe and cost-effective agents like doxycycline.
This clinical trial was carried out in Assiut University Hospital (AUH), Assiut, Egypt (Clinical
Trial Registration No. clinicaltrial.gov NCT03194204).
