Predictors of diastolic dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis

The main objective was to determine the predictors of diastolic dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Articles pertaining to diastolic dysfunction in RA were retrieved from Scopus, EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. Keywords such as: diastolic, cardiac, left ventricular function, heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiac failure were used. Studies, which examined factors, or predictors of diastolic dysfunction in RA, and those with echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic dysfunction, were included. A total of 8 studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies (6 out of 7 studies) demonstrated a significant inverse relationship between the E (early)/A (late) ratio and disease duration. The pooled analysis using the random effects model revealed a significant but weak inverse relationship between the ratio of the E to A ventricular filling velocities (E/A) ratio and the disease duration (p<0.05, r=-0.385). There was a significant relationship between E/A ratio and disease duration in RA.