RESUMEN
Objective To evaluate the change of left ventricular diastolic function and investigate the relation between left ventricular diastolic function and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without clinical manifestations of heart diseases. Methods Seventy consecutive active RA in-patients without clinical manifestations of heart disease were enrolled, while the control group was recruited from outpatient health physical check-up center and consisted of 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Cardiac related parame-ters were determined by echocardiography and the correlation between left ventricular diastolic function and the disease activity indexes were evaluated. Chi-square test, t test, Pearson or Spearman′s correlation test and Stepwise backward linear regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results RA patients had lower mitral inflow E/A ratio (1.2±0.4, 1.5±0.4, P<0.01), higher E/Em ratio (9.6±3.7, 7.8±2.0, P<0.01), longer isovolumetric relaxation time(IVRT)[(64±16) ms,(58±16) ms, P<0.05] than control group. Whilst, RA patients had higher pulmonary venous inflow A wave velocity-time integral (ArVTI) and A wave duration (DAr)[3.2±0.7,(2.8±0.6) cm; 117±11,(102±9) ms, P<0.05]. Moreover, the E/Em was positively corre-lated with C-reactive protein(CRP)(r=0.581, P<0.01), DAS28(r=0.456, P<0.01). Anti-CCP level was also associated with Em and early diastolic pulmonary venous inflow peak velocity(PVD)(r=-0.359, P<0.05;r=-0.305, P<0.05). In addition, multivariate analysis also revealed that there was linear regression relation-ship between E/Em and CRP, DAS28(t=3.266, P=0.002; t=2.949, P=0.005). Conclusion The study has revealed that left ventricular diastolic function is impaired in RA patients and the left ventricular diastolic function parameters is associated with the disease activity indexes. These results suggest that the decline of left ventricular diastolic function is associated with the inflammation activity in RA patients without clinical manifestations of heart disease.