Relationship between endothelial dysfunction and osteoprotegerin, vitamin D, and bone mineral density in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate whether the abnormalities in bone mineral density (BMD) that occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are associated with the presence of endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: Cross-sectional study encompassing 216 subjects (111 patients with RA and 105 age- and sex-matched controls) without history of cardiovascular disease. Endothelial function was determined by brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and BMD by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements.