Rheumatoid heart disease

Inflammatory and thrombotic valvulopathies in autoimmune disease

Rheumatologic diseases are characterised by loss of immune tolerance, resulting in systemic inflammation. Inflammation and scarring of the endocardium, which lines the inner surface of the heart chambers and valves, can result in valvular thickening and dysfunction. Estimates of prevalence vary depending on the sensitivity of the screening methodology used and range from 30%-50% in systemic lupus and rheumatoid arthritis to 10%-30% in ankylosing spondylitis. Progression of valve disease is a slow process but can result in haemodynamically significant complications. Thromboembolic complications such as cerebrovascular occlusions pose a serious risk of morbidity. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies increases the risk of valvular disease and thrombotic complications. Anticoagulation is recommended in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, but the guidance on the role of immunosuppressive therapy to treat valvular disease is lacking. Surgical valve therapy may be considered in severe disease, but there is increased risk in patients with an autoimmune disease which includes a higher risk of infection, thromboembolic and bleeding complications, as well as cardiovascular events in the setting of premature atherosclerotic heart disease. Therefore, management should be provided in a multidisciplinary team that includes a rheumatologist, a cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon; medical therapy should be optimised before considering a high-risk valve surgery.

Assessment of myocardial abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis using a comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance approach: a pilot study

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multi-organ inflammatory disorder associated with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We sought to assess cardiac involvement using a comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) approach and to determine its association with disease characteristics in RA patients without symptomatic cardiac disease.

Methods

RA patients with no history and/or clinical findings of systemic or pulmonary hypertension, coronary artery disease, severe valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, or echocardiographic abnormalities underwent contrast-enhanced cMRI on a 1.5T scanner. Adenosine triphosphate was used to assess perfusion defects due to microvascular impairment or ischemia, and delayed enhanced imaging was obtained for the assessment of myocardial inflammation/fibrosis. We explored the associations of cMRI abnormalities with RA disease activity and severity measures.

Results

Eighteen patients (78% female) with a mean age of 57 ± 10 years were studied. Eight patients (45%) demonstrated a myocardial abnormality. Perfusion defects under pharmacologic stress were seen in two patients (11%), one of whom had a circumferential subendocardial perfusion defect and one had a non-segmental subendocardial perfusion defect. Seven patients (39%) were found to have delayed enhancement, only one of whom also demonstrated a perfusion defect. Mean disease activity score (DAS)28 was significantly higher in the group with delayed enhancement compared to the group without by an average of 1.32 DAS28 units (4.77 vs. 3.44 units, respectively; P = 0.011). Corresponding trends to statistical significance were noted in systemic inflammatory markers, with both C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) quantitatively higher in the group with delayed enhancement. Other RA characteristics, such as disease duration, autoantibody status, and current treatments were not significantly associated with cardiac involvement.

Conclusions

Myocardial abnormalities, as detected by cMRI, were frequent in RA patients without known cardiac disease. Abnormal cMRI findings were associated with higher RA disease activity, suggesting a role for inflammation in the pathogenesis of myocardial involvement in RA.

Longterm Safety of Patients Receiving Rituximab in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials

Objective.

To evaluate the longterm safety of rituximab in clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods.

Pooled analysis of safety data, including adverse events (AE) and infections, from patients treated with rituximab in combination with methotrexate in a global clinical trial program.

Results.

A total of 2578 patients with RA received at least 1 course of rituximab. Safety analyses were based on 5013 patient-years of rituximab exposure. The most frequent AE was infusion-related reactions (25% of patients during the first infusion of Course 1). Less than 1% of infusion-related reactions were considered serious. Rates of AE and serious AE (SAE; 17.85 events/100 patient-yrs, 95% CI 16.72, 19.06) were stable following each course. The overall serious infection rate was 4.31/100 patient-years (95% CI 3.77, 4.92). Infections and serious infections over time remained stable across 5 courses at 4–6 events/100 patient-years. Compared with other patients with RA and with the general US population, there was no increased risk of malignancy.

Conclusion.

In this longterm safety update in RA clinical trial patients, rituximab remained well tolerated over multiple courses. SAE and infections remained stable over time and by treatment course.

The incidence of new onset congestive heart failure and heart failure exacerbation in Veteran’s Affairs patients receiving tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonists

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of new onset or worsening congestive heart failure in Veteran's Affairs (VA) patients who have received infliximab, etanercept, or adalimumab, and to compare mortality rates in these patients to control populations. We enrolled three groups of patients for this retrospective study: TNF-alpha group (n = 103), a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) control group (n = 100), and a control group without RA (n = 100). All patients at our VA facility who had received at least one dose of the TNF-alpha antagonists were included in the TNF-alpha group. Admissions for CHF did not differ between the three groups: TNF-alpha 7 (6.7%), RA control 8 (8%), non-RA control 7 (7%); P = 0.940. Mortality rates were not significantly different: TNF-alpha 4 (3.8%), RA control 7 (7%), non-RA control 11 (11%); P = 0.147. Our study showed no difference between the three groups in either CHF exacerbation or mortality.

Heart failure in rheumatoid arthritis: rates, predictors, and the effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy

PURPOSE

We sought to determine the frequency of heart failure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and to determine its predictors, particularly the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.

METHODS

Rheumatoid arthritis (n = 13,171) and osteoarthritis (n = 2568) patients were studied during a 2-year period ending in June 2002. The diagnosis of heart failure was based on self-report or review of medical records. Propensity scores were used to adjust for the risk of anti-TNF (infliximab and etanercept) prescription.

RESULTS

Heart failure was more common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (3.9% [n = 461]) than in those with osteoarthritis (2.3% [n = 87]), after adjusting for differences in demographic characteristics. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis had similar risk factors for heart failure (e.g., hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, diabetes, advanced age) as persons in population-based studies. Heart failure was significantly (P <0.05) less common in anti-TNF-treated patients (3.1% [180/5832]) than in the remaining patients (3.8% [281/7339]), even after adjusting for baseline differences. In the absence of pre-existing cardiovascular disease, the risk of heart failure was low (0.4% [24/6251]) and was not related to anti-TNF therapy.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of heart failure, which may be ameliorated by anti-TNF therapies.

Pericarditis in rheumatoid arthritis. A clinical and radiological study

The annual incidence of clinically manifest pericarditis was found to be 0.34% in 157 females and 0.44% in 77 males with rheumatoid arthritis, observed for a mean time of 5.7 years. The development of pericarditis was independent of disease duration, but was related to extensive joint involvement, subcutaneous nodules, and a high Waaler Rose titre. Concomitant pleural effusion was present in four of five patients. Pericarditis in rheumatoid arthritis may indicate a serious prognosis quo ad vitam. Four of the five patients died within eight years, but their age at death was relatively high (62-73 years).

Aortic valve incompetence and replacement in rheumatoid arthritis

Five cases of aortic incompetence and nodular seropositive rheumatoid arthritis are presented. Four cases underwent aortic valve replacement. Two of these had granulomatous involvement of the aortic cusps similar to subcutaneous rheumatoid nodules, and another showed a nonspecific fibrosis. One case had definite coincidental rheumatic aortic and mitral heart disease. Two patients had undergone pericardectomy previously for constrictive pericarditis. Good results were obtained in all four operated cases and cardiac surgery enabled continuation of rehabilitation for the rheumatoid arthritis, including major orthopaedic procedures. A review of 22 cases from the literature with rheumatoid granulomata within the aortic valve shows that they are associated with mitral valve granulomata in 63-6%. Congestive cardiac failure was found in 75%. Macroscopical evidence of aortic incompetence was seen in 36-8% and of aortic stenosis in 15-8%. Associated pericarditis occurred in 59-1%, which was severe or complicated in 13.6%. The associated arthritis was severe in 77-8% with subcutaneous nodules (71-5%), rheumatoid factor (83-6%), and episcleritis (66-6%). From these cases and a review of the literature the following points are emphasized. (1) Both the granulomatous and nonspecific aortic valvulitis of rheumatoid arthritis may result in significant haemodynamic abnormality. (2) The valve lesions found are often clinically and macroscopically indistinguishable from rheumatic valve lesions. (3) Granulomata, when present, are usually found in the valve cusp or ring and only occasionally in the aortic wall. (4) Associated joint disease, although usually severe, may be mild. (5) The valve lesion may be accompanied by a severe pericardial involvement--either tamponade or constriction. (6) Aortic valve replacement for aortic incompetence in rheumatoid arthritis is both feasible and worthwile, despite severe joint disease.