Abstract

The rheumatic diseases have been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent synovial inflammation which leads to disability and structural changes in joints. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an increased cardiovascular mortality in patients with RA. In these patients, atherosclerotic plaque occurs earlier, and it has a faster evolution than in general population. Atherosclerosis (AT) is also an inflammatory disease partly mediated by cytokines, many of them involved on chronic synovitis. Our group has developed a rabbit experimental model of AT aggravated by chronic arthritis to study inflammatory mechanisms involved on the progression of vascular lesions and their response to drugs. A preliminary study using this model suggests a beneficial effect of chondroitin sulphate (CS), a drug recommended for the treatment of osteoarthritis, in controlling AT lesions. Yet clinical trials should be conducted with this compound to address the same hypothesis in human studies.

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