ESCAPE - RA TRIAL

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。心血管疾病（CVD）是类风湿关节炎（RA）发病和死亡的主要原因。尽管心血管相关死亡在RA患者中增加了2-4倍，但常规心血管疾病危险因素的患病率在RA患者中并未增加。这表明疾病本身，可能是通过其强烈的炎症过程，是心血管疾病的一个重要的、独立的危险因素。这些研究人员假设RA患者有更高的亚临床动脉粥样硬化患病率，这可以通过更高的钙评分、更高的左室功能障碍患病率、更低的收缩和/或舒张功能障碍患病率来证明，并且在控制了常规危险因素后，炎症标志物的升高将是导致这种更高患病率的原因。此外，研究人员假设亚临床动脉粥样硬化的进展率会更高，血清炎症标志物可以解释这种加速的进展。最后，他们假设炎症标志物和疾病严重程度/活动性水平最高的RA患者在基线时的发病率更高，冠状动脉钙和左室功能障碍的进展率也更高。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although CV -related deaths are increased 2-4 fold in RA, the prevalence of conventional risk factors for CVD is not increase in RA patients. This suggests that the disease itself, presumably via its intense inflammatory process-is an important, independent risk factor for CVD. These investigators hypothesize that RA patients will have higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis as evidenced by higher calcium scores, higher prevalence of LV dysfunction, depressed systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction, and that elevated markers of inflammation will be responsible for this higher prevalence after controlling for conventional risk factors. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that there will be a higher rate of progression of subclinical atherosclerosis and serum markers of inflammation will explain the enhanced progression. Finally, they hypothesize that RA patients with the highest levels of inflammatory markers and disease severity/activity will exhibit higher rates at baseline and higher rates of progression in coronary calcium and LV dysfunction.