Association Study Between Rheumatoid Arthritis And Abnormal Lipid Metabolism

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common chronic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive joint destruction,disability,and even death.The main cause of death in RA patients is morbidity,such as cardiovascular diseases Dyslipidemia is listed as one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.Therefore,it is extremely important to study the influencing factors and preventive measures of dyslipidemia in RA patients.Objective: To investigate the percentage of dyslipidemia in patients with RA,the relationship between serum lipids(TG,TC,HDL-C,LDL-C,LP(a))and C-reactive protein(CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),as well as the effect of drug treatment on dyslipidemia.Methods: A total of 60 RA outpatients were collected from August 1,2018 to December 31,2018 in the Third People’s Hospital of Bengbu.The serum lipids,CRP and ESR concentrations were measured before drug treatment,and the blood pressure was measured.The percentage of dyslipidemia in patients with RA was calculated.The correlation between ESR,CRP and blood lipid level was analyzed.Then patients were divided into different groups according to serum levels of ESR or CRP.The concentrations of serum lipids were compared among these groups.At last,we compared the change of serum lipids in patients with RA between before and after 3months treatment.Results: 1)73.3% RA patients had co-morbidity of dyslipidaemia.Among RA patients,TG elevation accounted for 21.67%,TC elevation accounted for 43.33%,HDL-C reduction accounted for 10%,LDL-C elevation accounted for 40%,and LP(a)elevation accounted for 25%;2)The levels of TC and LDL-C in the ESR-raised groupwere higher than those in the normal group,and the HDL was lower than that in the normal group.The difference between the three groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).There were no significant differences for TG and LP(a)concentrations(P>0.05).Serum TC and LDL-C concentrations were higher in the CRP-increased group than those in the normal group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference for TG,HDL-C and LP(a)(P>0.05);3)After treatment,serum concentrations of TC and LDL-C in RA patients decreased when compared to those in RA patients before the treatment,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion: RA patients are susceptible to abnormal lipid metabolism.There are associations between serum lipid levels and inflammatory markers ESR or CRP in RA patients.The blood lipid level of RA patients could also be improved after treatment with anti-rheumatism drugs.