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. 2024 Jan;43(1):481-488.
doi: 10.1007/s10067-023-06744-z. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Antibodies against oxidized LDL and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biological agents: a prospective controlled study

G V Papamichail  1 , A N Georgiadis  2 , C C Tellis  3 , I Rapti  1 , T E Markatseli  2 , V G Xydis  4 , A D Tselepis  3 , A A Drosos  2 , P V Voulgari  5
Affiliations

Antibodies against oxidized LDL and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biological agents: a prospective controlled study

G V Papamichail et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation among atherosclerosis, antibodies against oxidized LDL (anti-oxLDL), and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biological (b) disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Methods: Fifty-nine patients who were receiving conventional synthetic DMARDs and were eligible for treatment with a biological agent were included in the study. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and IgG antibodies against oxidized LDL (anti-oxLDL) as well as carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) were determined before and after 6 months of treatment. Thirty-one healthy individuals were used as a control group.

Results: At baseline, RA patients had lower TC and HDL-C levels and increased cIMT compared to controls. After a 6-month follow-up, the re-evaluation of carotids revealed a statistically important decrease of cIMT values. This observation was accompanied by a statistically important elevation of HDL-C levels and a reduction of the titer of anti-oxLDL antibodies regardless of the bDMARD that was administered. No statistically significant association was found between the cIMT and anti-oxLDL, HDL-C, CRP, or DAS28 score neither before nor 6 months after treatment using linear regression analyses adjusted for age and gender.

Conclusions: We provide evidence that atherogenic lipid profile and ongoing atherosclerosis which characterize RA patients appear to improve after biological therapy, and we also suggest a possible atherogenic effect of IgG anti-ox LDL antibodies.

Keywords: Antibodies against oxidized LDL atherosclerosis; Biologic agents; Cardiovascular risk; Intima-media thickness; Rheumatoid arthritis.

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