Vol.23 No.2

Original Article

Serum osteoprotegerin concentration is associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Authors

Yu Funakubo Asanuma1 , Yuki Shimada1 , Noritsune Kouzu1 , Kazuhiro Yokota1 , Kyoichi Nakajima1 , Kojiro Sato1 , Yuji Akiyama1 , Mitsuhiro Isozaki2 , Ayako Shimbara Mikami2 , Hiroyuki Kobayashi2 , Toshihide Mimura1

  • Department of Rheumatology and Applied Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama, 350-0495, Japan
  • Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan
Received:

5 April 2012

Accepted:

13 April 2012

Published online:

15 May 2012

Full Text

PDF　(member's only)

Abstract

Objective Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a regulator of bone resorption, is involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis. OPG is elevated in patients with coronary artery disease, and high OPG levels are associated with cardiac disease severity and mortality in the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of serum OPG levels, traditional coronary risk factors, and RA-related factors to carotid atherosclerosis in RA patients.
Methods Ninety-one RA patients were studied (85 % women, age 60 ± 10 years). Serum OPG levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The prevalence of carotid plaque was assessed by ultrasonographic imaging in all patients. The relationship between various clinical characteristics, OPG, and carotid plaque was examined.
Results Serum OPG levels were significantly higher in patients with carotid plaque than in those without plaque (median level 1,397 vs. 887 pg/mL, respectively; P = 0.006). There were no significant differences between RA patients with and without carotid plaque with respect to sex, duration of RA, blood pressure, body mass index, smoking, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Disease Activity Score-28, van der Heijde-modified Sharp score, and prednisolone dose. After adjusting for age, sex, and C-reactive protein, elevated levels of OPG were still associated with a higher prevalence of carotid plaque in patients with RA (P = 0.038).
Conclusion RA patients suffer from accelerated atherosclerosis and also have increased levels of OPG. The serum OPG level is independently associated with carotid plaque.

Key words

Osteoprotegerin - Rheumatoid arthritis - Atherosclerosis