| Summary: | Objectives: To estimate the state of the brachiocephalic trunk in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) and the relationship of changes with the clinical manifestations of the underlying disease.
Material and methods: 55 patients with a diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis were examined. The average age was 35±0.8 years, the duration of the disease was 5±0.45 years. The criterion for exclusion was the presence of clinical manifestations of diseases of the cardiovascular system (CVS). Control group in the amount of 20 people, corresponding to the sex and age, without clinical manifestations of diseases from the musculoskeletal system and CVS. All patients underwent a duplex study of the brachiocephalic trunk.
Results: Investigation of the intima-media vessel complex (IMC) as an indicator of the thickness of the subendothelial layers of the intima and / or muscle layer of the media is an early marker of the atherosclerotic process. The thickness of IMC was higher in patients with axial SpA (0.75±0.05 mm) compared with the control group (0.68±0.08 mm). The incidence of carotid plaque was higher than in the control group (40% vs. 28%, p < 0.05). The presence of plaque was most often observed in patients with a longer duration of the disease, with hip joint damage, syndesmophytes, a higher limited functional capacity of the joints in the BASFI and BASMI indices.
Conclusion: The asymptomatic course of cardiovascular damage justifies the need for mandatory duplex research of the brachiocephalic trunk patients with axial spondyloarthritis.
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