Vascular Calcification in Takayasu Arteritis; Relationship with Metabolic Syndrome, Left Ventricular Mass Index and Intima-Media Thickness

Hazan Karadeniz; Sevcihan Kesen; Mert Burak Akhan; Serkan Unlu; Rıza Can Kardas; Aslıhan Avanoglu Guler; Derya Yıldırım; Ibrahim Vasi; Burcugul Kaya; Rahime Duran; Nurten Gizem Tore; Abdulsamet Erden; Hamit Kucuk; Berna Goker; Mehmet Akif Ozturk; Abdurrahman Tufan

doi:10.1016/j.hjc.2024.04.007

Vascular Calcification in Takayasu Arteritis; Relationship with Metabolic Syndrome, Left Ventricular Mass Index and Intima-Media Thickness

Hellenic J Cardiol. 2024 Apr 30:S1109-9666(24)00082-4. doi: 10.1016/j.hjc.2024.04.007. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hazan Karadeniz¹, Sevcihan Kesen², Mert Burak Akhan², Serkan Unlu³, Rıza Can Kardas⁴, Aslıhan Avanoglu Guler⁴, Derya Yıldırım⁴, Ibrahim Vasi⁴, Burcugul Kaya⁴, Rahime Duran⁴, Nurten Gizem Tore⁵, Abdulsamet Erden⁴, Hamit Kucuk⁴, Berna Goker⁴, Mehmet Akif Ozturk⁴, Abdurrahman Tufan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey; Division of Rheumatology, Mehmet Akif Inan Training and Research Hospital, Sanlıurfa. Electronic address: drhazankaradeniz@hotmail.com.
² Department of Radiology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
³ Department of Cardiology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
⁴ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey.
⁵ Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gazi University, Ankara.
⁶ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey; Inflammatory Disease Section, National Human Genome Research Institute, USA.

PMID: 38697292
DOI: 10.1016/j.hjc.2024.04.007

Abstract

Introduction: ; The present study aims to determine the frequency of vascular calcification in Takayasu arteritis (TA) and the risk factors for it and to evaluate its relation with atherosclerotic predictors such as metabolic syndrome (MS), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with TA; MS was defined according to the US National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) criteria. The study included 49 TA patients (22 with MS, 27 without MS) and 31 healthy controls (HCs). Non-contrast computed tomography measured calcification in coronary arteries, aorta, and branches.

Results: Forty-seven patients (95.9%) were female and mean age was 33.45±8.53 years. Total calcification score (mean±SD; 5223.9±18041.1 AU vs 35.87±72.70 AU (p=0.05)), CIMT and LVMI were found to be significantly higher in TA patients than HCs (p<0.05). While there was no significant difference between the total calcification score of MS (+) TA patients and MS (-) TA patients, in both patient groups, the total calcification score was found to be significantly higher than HCs. MS (+) and MS (-) groups were found to have significantly higher CIMT and LVMI values than the control group, in addition, MS (+) patients were found to have significantly higher LVMI and CIMT values than MS (-) group (p<0.05).

Conclusion: ; Vascular calcification, CIMT, and LVMI are elevated in all TA patients, with greater impact in the presence of MS.

Keywords: Calcification; left ventricular mass index; metabolic syndrome; tomography.