IP: Dr. Miguel Ángel González-Gay

Resumen del proyecto: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with accelerated atherogenesis and increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Non-invasive markers of subclinical atherosclerosis such as the increase of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) predict the risk of CV events in RA. Our group has demonstrated the influence of genetic polymorphisms located in the HLA region as well as the influence of other polymorphisms located outside this region in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis and CV events in RA patients. Recent findings, obtained by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have disclosed the association of several genetic variants with the increase of cIMT, presence of carotid plaques and increase of serum levels of C-reactive protein in the general population. Also, in the last year, another GWAS revealed the presence of new genes that may be potentially implicated in the development of CV disease in the general population. Since atherosclerosis share many similarities with autoimmune diseases such as RA, the purpose of our project will be to assess the potential influence of these polymorphisms, found by GWAS, in the susceptibility to subclinical atherosclerosis and CV events in patients with RA. This research strategy aimed to establish genetic markers of CV risk will be useful to indentify a subgroup of patients with RA and high risk for CV events. This is of main importance to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of the atherosclerotic disease in RA. These results will help to develop new therapeutic strategies leading to a reduction of the CV mortality observed in RA

Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III