Evaluation of ventricular systolic function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

Objective To evaluate the left ventricular and right ventricular systolic function by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Methods Fifty five patients with RA and 50 healthy subjects were received echocardiography. 2D-STE were applied for all the subjects to obtain left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS). Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and the change ratio of right ventricular area (RVACR) were measured by echocardiography. The anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP-II), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were detected in both group. The LVGLS and RVGLS in RA group were used to conduce correlation analysis with the level of anti-CCP-II, RF, CRP, ESR and the duration of disease. Results There was a significant decrease in RVGLS and LVGLS in RA group compared with control group(P 0.05). The anti-CCP-II, RF, CRP and ESR in RA group increased significantly compared with control group(P<0.001). The result of correlation analysis showed there was no correlation between RVGLS, LVGLS and anti-CCP-II, RF, CRP, ESR in RA group. However, RVGLS and LVGLS were negatively correlated with the duration of disease. Conclusions LVGLS and RVGLS in RA patients were lower than those in healthy people, strain decreases with the extension of disease duration, 2D-STE may be an efficacious assessment to assess left ventricular and right ventricular systolic function in patients with RA. Key words: Echocardiography; Arthritis, rheumatoid; Ventricular function; Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging