Anti-apoA-1 IgG and oxidized LDL are raised in rheumatoid arthritis (RA): potential associations with cardiovascular disease and RA disease activity.

Objective: To determine whether emerging cardiovascular risk factors such as anti-apolipoprotein A-1 (anti-apoA-1) immunoglobulin (Ig)G and oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method: We determined the aforementioned associations in 69 RA patients with disease duration of 5 years and 46 controls matched by age, sex, and smoking status. Anti-apoA-1 IgG and oxLDL were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Carotid arteries were examined by ultrasound. Disease Activity Score calculated on 28 joints (DAS28) was used to assess disease activity.

Results: CVD prevalence was higher among RA patients than controls (17% vs. 2%, p = 0.01) but there was no difference in IMT (median: 0.67 vs. 0.66, p = 0.33). RA patients had a higher anti-apoA-1 IgG prevalence than controls (20% vs. 0%, p = 0.001). Anti-apoA-1 IgG and oxLDL levels were higher in cases than controls [median: 0.33 vs. 0.175 optical density (OD), p = 0.03; and 121 vs. 37.2 U/L, p = 0.0001, respectively]. Anti-apoA-1 IgG-positive patients had higher levels of oxLDL (median: 140.5 vs. 112 U/L, p = 0.01) than those tested negative. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that only anti-apoA-1 IgG was a modest but significant predictor of CVD [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.65, p = 0.03] in RA patients. oxLDL was significantly associated with RA disease activity, whereas anti-apoA-1 IgG was not.

Conclusions: Anti-apoA-1 IgG could be a marker of CVD in RA, whereas oxLDL levels seem to reflect RA disease activity. Other causes of CVD than a general increase in atherosclerosis (as determined by IMT measurements) including plaque stability may therefore be of importance to explain the increased incidence of CVD in RA.