Coronary Artery Calcification in Patients with Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis : A Comparative Study with Matched Controls in Southwestern Sweden
(2025) In Journal of cardiovascular development and disease 12(8).- Abstract
Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The coronary artery calcification (CAC) score, an atherosclerosis burden indicator that predicts CVD risk, is not well studied in r-axSpA. This study investigates CAC scores in patients with r-axSpA compared to controls without rheumatic disease and factors associated with CAC scores in r-axSpA patients. Fifty-eight r-axSpA patients from southwestern Sweden were assessed cross-sectionally using clinical disease measures, physical function, spinal mobility, lipid profiles, inflammation markers, and long-term time-averaged C-reactive protein (CRP). Four controls per patient were selected from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage... (More)
Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The coronary artery calcification (CAC) score, an atherosclerosis burden indicator that predicts CVD risk, is not well studied in r-axSpA. This study investigates CAC scores in patients with r-axSpA compared to controls without rheumatic disease and factors associated with CAC scores in r-axSpA patients. Fifty-eight r-axSpA patients from southwestern Sweden were assessed cross-sectionally using clinical disease measures, physical function, spinal mobility, lipid profiles, inflammation markers, and long-term time-averaged C-reactive protein (CRP). Four controls per patient were selected from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). CAC was scored on cardiac computed tomography (CT) using the Agatston method. The presence of CAC in the right coronary artery (RCA) was higher in patients compared to controls. However, no significant difference in total CAC scores was observed between r-axSpA patients and controls, despite numerically higher total CAC scores in patients. In r-axSpA patients, CAC scores correlated positively with time-averaged CRP, reduced physical function, and impaired spinal mobility. These findings suggest that chronic inflammation may contribute to coronary calcification and CVD risk in r-axSpA, highlighting the need for effective anti-inflammatory treatments. Further research is warranted to explore the association between coronary calcification, spinal immobility, and limitations in physical function.
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- author
- Hulander, Erik ; Deminger, Anna ; Enegren, Sofia ; Hallström, Magnus ; Feldthusen, Caroline ; Fagman, Erika ; Angerås, Oskar ; Zverkova Sandström, Tatiana ; Geijer, Mats LU and Forsblad-d’Elia, Helena
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- cardiovascular disease risk, chronic inflammation, coronary artery calcification, radiographic axial spondyloarthritis
- in
- Journal of cardiovascular development and disease
- volume
- 12
- issue
- 8
- article number
- 305
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:40863371
- scopus:105014443658
- ISSN
- 2308-3425
- DOI
- 10.3390/jcdd12080305
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 41cfbeae-79bf-4316-a74b-31fd82e21c5e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-07 09:52:42
- date last changed
- 2025-12-05 12:24:27
@article{41cfbeae-79bf-4316-a74b-31fd82e21c5e,
abstract = {{<p>Radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The coronary artery calcification (CAC) score, an atherosclerosis burden indicator that predicts CVD risk, is not well studied in r-axSpA. This study investigates CAC scores in patients with r-axSpA compared to controls without rheumatic disease and factors associated with CAC scores in r-axSpA patients. Fifty-eight r-axSpA patients from southwestern Sweden were assessed cross-sectionally using clinical disease measures, physical function, spinal mobility, lipid profiles, inflammation markers, and long-term time-averaged C-reactive protein (CRP). Four controls per patient were selected from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). CAC was scored on cardiac computed tomography (CT) using the Agatston method. The presence of CAC in the right coronary artery (RCA) was higher in patients compared to controls. However, no significant difference in total CAC scores was observed between r-axSpA patients and controls, despite numerically higher total CAC scores in patients. In r-axSpA patients, CAC scores correlated positively with time-averaged CRP, reduced physical function, and impaired spinal mobility. These findings suggest that chronic inflammation may contribute to coronary calcification and CVD risk in r-axSpA, highlighting the need for effective anti-inflammatory treatments. Further research is warranted to explore the association between coronary calcification, spinal immobility, and limitations in physical function.</p>}},
author = {{Hulander, Erik and Deminger, Anna and Enegren, Sofia and Hallström, Magnus and Feldthusen, Caroline and Fagman, Erika and Angerås, Oskar and Zverkova Sandström, Tatiana and Geijer, Mats and Forsblad-d’Elia, Helena}},
issn = {{2308-3425}},
keywords = {{cardiovascular disease risk; chronic inflammation; coronary artery calcification; radiographic axial spondyloarthritis}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{8}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Journal of cardiovascular development and disease}},
title = {{Coronary Artery Calcification in Patients with Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis : A Comparative Study with Matched Controls in Southwestern Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12080305}},
doi = {{10.3390/jcdd12080305}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2025}},
}