Publications by authors named "Annelies Blanken"
Controlling inflammation with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is hypothesized to reduce their cardiovascular risk. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of TNF inhibitors on arterial stiffness and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) in RA. MEDLINE, EMBASE, clinicaltrials.
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- - The study aimed to evaluate the impact of 4 years of anti-inflammatory therapy on subclinical vascular disease markers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, comparing them to controls with osteoarthritis (OA).
- - Results showed that RA patients had higher carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and augmentation index (AIx@75) at baseline compared to OA, but anti-inflammatory treatment led to significant initial improvements in AIx@75 and pulse wave velocity (PWV) within the first 6 months, although PWV returned to baseline levels by 48 months.
- - The findings indicate that anti-inflammatory therapy resulted in modest improvements in certain vascular disease markers, which were related to decreased disease activity, yet the long-term
Objectives: To investigate the reliability and validity of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET-CT scanning (FDG-PET) in RA patients with low disease activity tapering TNF inhibitors (TNFis) and its predictive value for successful tapering or discontinuation.
Methods: Patients in the tapering arm of the Dose REduction Strategies of Subcutaneous TNFi study, a randomized controlled trial of TNFi tapering in RA, underwent FDG-PET before tapering (baseline) and after maximal tapering. A total of 48 joints per scan were scored both visually [FDG-avid joint (FAJ), yes/no] and quantitatively [maximal and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean)].
Article Synopsis
- * The study involved 49 RA patients, assessing arterial wall inflammation before and after 6 months of treatment using advanced imaging techniques; both early and established RA patients showed overall reduced inflammation, particularly in carotid and femoral arteries.
- * Results indicated a 4% reduction in arterial wall inflammation due to anti-inflammatory treatment, linked to decreases in inflammatory markers, suggesting that such therapies could lower cardiovascular event risks in RA patients.
Objective: RA is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Ongoing systemic inflammation is presumed to accelerate atherosclerosis by increasing inflammation in the arterial wall. However, evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The value of joint ultrasonography (US) in the prediction of clinical arthritis in individuals at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still a point of debate, due to varying scanning protocols and different populations. We investigated whether US abnormalities assessed with a standard joint protocol can predict development of arthritis in seropositive patients with arthralgia.
Methods: Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and/or rheumatoid factor positive patients with arthralgia, but without clinical arthritis were included.
Introduction: A common cardiovascular manifestation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is congestive heart failure (CHF) in which inflammation is considered to play a pivotal role. Although anti-inflammatory therapy such as biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) have the potential of improving the cardiac function and reducing the risk of CHF, the published studies showed contrasting results. This review aims to systematically summarize and analyze literature regarding the effect of bDMARDs on the cardiac function and on the risk of CHF in RA.
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