Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Relation to disease activity, functional status and fatigue

Background: There is risk of premature atherosclerosis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients which predisposes to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood. This can be assessed by flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) of the arterial wall and by soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1). Aim of the work: To assess endothelial dysfunction in JIA children and to correlate sVCAM with FMD of brachial artery and carotid IMT. Patients and methods: The study was conducted on 55 JIA patients. The following was assessed: body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, juvenile arthritis disease activity score (JADAS27). Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (C-HAQ), physical activity questionnaire (PAQ), fatigue assessment using The Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) inventory, full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF), serum creatinine and lipid profile, sVCAM-1, FMD and IMT. Results: The patients’ age was 10.9 ± 3.9 years and were 28 (50.9%) females. JADAS-27 and CRP was higher in systemic JIA, but fatigue scores were significantly lower. CHAQ was significantly lower in patients with polyarticular disease. Patients with high disease activity had significantly younger age of onset, lower BMI, shorter disease duration, lower fatigue scale and physical activity scores and higher CHAQ. sVCAM-1 significantly correlated with CHAQ, low-density lipoprotein, CRP and ESR while FMD significantly correlated with PedsQL and PAQ. Conclusion: JIA patients had impaired endothelial function and increased cIMT with increased sVCAM-1, impaired lipid profile, decreased physical activity and increased fatigue with a potentially higher cardiovascular risk in this pediatric population. Keywords: Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), Flow mediated dilatation (FMD), Carotid intima media thickness (IMT), Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, JADAS27, CHA