Page 106 - THE EVOLUTION OF EARLY ARTHRITIS AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK Samina A. Turk

CHAPTER 5
Figure 2.
A. Percentiles of improvement in DAS28 and change in bpm, Year 1 minus baseline
B. EULAR response and change in bpm, Year 1 minus baseline
DAS28: 28-joint Disease Activity Score; EULAR: European League Against Rheumatism
A.
B.
DISCUSSION
In DMARD-naive patients with early arthritis, the prevalence of conduction disorders was 12.5%, with LAFB, incomplete RBBB and AV block as the most common disorders. This prevalence appears to be similar to the general population, in which the prevalence ranges between 9.1% and 17.3%(19-24). Previous literature showed that patients with RA had a significantly higher risk of both hospitalized and unrecognized MI, prior to the clinical onset of RA. However, the risk of SCD at the time of the clinical onset of RA is not known(27). The main risk factor for SCD are arrhythmias and QTc interval prolongation. In patients with established arthritis, a prolonged QTc was demonstrated(8;12;13). In our study, overall there was no increased mean QTc time, and at baseline the QTc
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