Key result
Aortic stiffness independently correlates with impaired myocardial performance in ankylosing spondylitis.
Why the study?
This study was conducted to assess left ventricular myocardial performance and aortic elastic properties in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Cross-Sectional (n=60)
No
Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with subclinical myocardial dysfunction and increased aortic stiffness, with tissue Doppler imaging-derived myocardial performance index serving as a potentially sensitive measure of early cardiovascular involvement.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Aortic stiffness may flag subclinical LV impairment in ankylosing spondylitis; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before any practice change.
Objective: To assess left ventricular myocardial performance and aortic elastic properties in patients with Ankylosing spondylitis Study Design: Cross-sectional studyPlace and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Marjan Teaching Hospital's Rheumatology and Echocardiography Units, Babylon, Iraq. from 1st November 2025 to 31st March 2026. Methodology: There were 60 ankylosing spondylitis patients echocardiography was done for each participant. Myocardial performance index-pulse wave and myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging, aortic strain, distensibility, and stiffness index were assessed by echocardiography. Disease activity was evaluated using Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score and C-reactive protein. Results: Mean aortic stiffness index was 5.9±0.87. myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging correlated positively with aortic stiffness and negatively with distensibility, while Myocardial performance indexpulse wave showed no significant correlations. C-reactive protein-positive patients had higher myocardial performance index values (p<0.001). Moderate disease activity was associated with higher myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging (p=0.020) and Myocardial performance index-pulse wave (p=0.012). Aortic stiffness was the strongest independent predictor of myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging (β=0.453, p<0.001), followed by age (β = 0.296, p=0.019). Conclusion: Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with subclinical myocardial dysfunction and increased aortic stiffness. myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging may provide a sensitive measure of early cardiovascular involvement.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Al-Hassani et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Ankylosing spondylitis (n=60). Ankylosing spondylitis disease activity and aortic stiffness was evaluated on Myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging (MPI-TDI) and aortic elastic properties (aortic stiffness index, strain, distensibility) (β = 0.453, p=<0.001). Aortic stiffness was the strongest independent predictor of myocardial performance index-tissue Doppler imaging (β=0.453, p<0.001) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: