Does anti-TNF-alpha therapy reduce aortic pulse-wave velocity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Anti-TNF-alpha therapy reduces aortic stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that controlling inflammation may lower cardiovascular risk.
RA is associated with increased aortic stiffness, which correlates with current but not historical measures of inflammation, suggesting that increased aortic stiffness may be reversible. Indeed, anti-TNF-alpha therapy reduced aortic stiffness to a level comparable to that of healthy individuals. Therefore, effective control of inflammation may be of benefit in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with RA.
Mäki-Petäjä et al. (Tue,) studied this question.