Abstract: Objective: Patients with RA have systemic inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular (CV)
events, including thrombosis. The aim of this work to assess cardiac involvement by ECHO and ECG in different
grades of disease activity in (RA) rheumatoid arthritis patients and to correlate these finding to disease activity and
fibrinogen as the most important nontraditional cardiovascular risk. Methods: Patients with RA and controls were
recruited at Benha university faculty of medicine rheumatology department. Disease activity was evaluated using
standard indices. Fibrinogen, ESR, CRP, ECHO and ECG were done for all patients and controls. Results: A total
of 100 RA patients and 50 controls were studied. Among patients with RA, disease activity ranged from inactive to
highly active disease. There were Significant difference between moderately, highly active and inactive RA as
regarding cardiovascular risk variables fibrinogen, CRP, ESR P< 0. 01. Also there was significant cardiac
involvement in different grades of disease activity in RA patients as regarding both ECG and ECHO and these
findings correlate to grades of disease activity. A statistically significant +ve correlation between serum fibrinogen
level and cardiac involvements were found in all RA. Conclusion: cardiac involvement by ECHO and ECG are
present in different grades of disease activity, RA patients in inactive state exhibit cardiac findings compared with
controls with significant different, There is Significant correlation of fibrinogen as the most important nontraditional
cardiovascular risk to cardiac involvement by ECG and ECHO.
[Shereen Algergawy.