Increased Risk of Arterial Stiffness in Rhumatoid Arthritis Patients in a Sub-Saharan African Setting

Background: Analysis of arterial stiffness (AS) is a good marker of early arterial disease and an important determinant of cardiovascular risk, independent of other traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CfPWV) is the gold standard to evaluate arterial stiffness. There is evidence that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a higher arterial stiffness than their age-matched healthy counterparts and thus have higher cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, data on arterial stiffness in African rheumatoid arthritis patients is scarce. Objectives: To determine the patterns of arterial stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis patients in a sub-Saharan African setting, using CfPWV and Augmentation index (AIx). Method: We conducted a case-control study, at the Douala general hospital over four months (February to May 2018) on 63 subjects among which 31 RA patients matched for age and sex with 32 healthy subjects. AIx and CfPWV were determined non-invasively by radial pulse wave analysis and carotid femoral wave analysis respectively, using a sphygmocor Atcor device (SphygmoCor, PWV Medical, Sydney, Australia). Results: The mean age of RA patients was 47 ± 14 years with most of them being females (n = 26, 83.9%). CfPWV was significantly higher in RA patients compared to the control group (mean: 8.85 ± 2.1 vs 7.45 ± 1.38;p ≤ 0.01) as well as was AIx (Median: 33 [26 - 43] vs 26 [20 - 31];p = 0.01). RA (OR: 6.105;95% CI: 1.52 - 24.54;p 1.34;95% CI: 1.14 - 5.17;p = 0.05), elevated CRP levels (OR: 4.01;95% CI: 1.16 - 13.68;p = 0.03) and Hypertension (OR: 5.75;95% CI: 1.24 -11.60;p Conclusion: Arterial stiffness, a well-recognized marker of cardiovascular risk is increased among patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis when compared to a healthy control group.

Burden, Type, and Associated Factors of Thyroid Dysfunction in Patients with Heart Failure in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Various thyroid abnormalities have been reported during heart failure (HF). The present study aimed to evaluate the burden, type, and associated factors of thyroid disorders in Cameroonian patients with heart failure. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from January to May 2020, involving volunteer adults followed for heart failure at the Yaoundé Central Hospital. Those receiving treatment that could cause thyroid dysfunction were excluded. Thyroid hormone levels (TSH, free T3, and free T4) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A total of 63 patients (30 women;47.6%) were included. The median age was 65 (IQR: 56 - 70) years. The main etiology of heart failure was hypertension (52.4%) followed by valvular heart disease (14.3%). Thyroid dysfunction was seen in 38 (60.3%, [95% CI: 47.2 - 72.4]) patients, of which 30 (79%) had hypothyroidism and 8 (21%) had hyperthyroidism. The most frequent thyroid dysfunction was Low T3 syndrome in 27% (95% CI: 16.6 - 39.7) of the study population followed sub-clinical hypothyroidism in 19.1% (95% CI: 10.3 - 30.9) of patients. Patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) were more likely to have hypothyroidism than those with preserved ejection fraction (OR: 3.5, [95% CI: 1.2 - 9.9], p = 0.016). Also, patients with more than one hospital admission in the past 12 months were more likely to have hypothyroidism (OR: 5.3, [95% CI: 1.3 - 21.5], p = 0.013). Conclusion: The burden of thyroid dysfunction was high in this group of patients with HF. These were mainly low T3 syndrome and sub-clinical hypothyroidism. These were associated with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and those with more than one hospitalization within the past 12-months.