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Heart failure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with higher mortality than is heart failure in the general population. RA patients have elevated circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which are independent predictors of heart failure. Researchers from Columbia University used 18-flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET-CT) to detect subclinical myocardial inflammation in 119 RA patients without known cardiovascular disease and in 27 non-RA controls.
FDG uptake occurred in 37% of RA patients, and uptake was excessive (compared with controls) in 18%. Patients with moderate-to-high RA disease activity had, on average, more uptake than those with lower activity or those i…