Pericoronary adipose tissue as a biomarker of coronary atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors' conclusion
Mean and artery-specific PCATa associated with the extent, burden and composition of coronary plaque and its progression in RA. Mean, LCx and RCA-PCATa were linked to cardiovascular events, and RCA-PCATa specifically optimized risk estimates beyond atherosclerosis
Study context
- Population
- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing screening and surveillance coronary CT angiographysingle-centre cohort
- Participants
- 150 patients
- Outcome
- Associations of PCATa (left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCx), right coronary artery (RCA)) with coronary atherosclerosis burden, progression and cardiovascular risk
Methodological detailssingle-centre, observational, Surveillance coronary imaging 6.9 ±0.3 years after screening
- Single-centre
- Observational
- Surveillance coronary imaging 6.9 ±0.3 years after screening
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Total plaque numbers at baseline, per SD increase in PCATa
Adjusted incidence rate ratio (95% CI)
Mean PCATa
1.21(1.02–1.27)
LCx-PCATa
1.20(1.00–1.43)
RCA-PCATa
1.22(1.02–1.46)
Per SD increase, as printed
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | aHR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular risk, artery-specific PCATa thresholds, per SD increaseMean PCATa · per SD increase | 0.10 (0.02–0.56) | |
| Cardiovascular risk, artery-specific PCATa thresholds, per SD increaseLCx-PCATa · per SD increase | 0.11 (0.03–0.43) | |
| Cardiovascular risk, artery-specific PCATa thresholds, per SD increaseRCA-PCATa · per SD increase | 0.15 (0.04–0.53) | |
| 0.050.21520Adjusted hazard ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | ΔAUC (95% CI) | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Risk estimate accuracy with RCA-PCATa thresholdBias-corrected CI | 0.066 (0.024–0.126) | P = 0.005 |
Original publication
Pericoronary adipose tissue as a biomarker of coronary atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 25 April 2026. doi:10.
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