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ORIGINAL PAPER
Serum low-density lipoprotein and synovial vascularity in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis
1
Early Arthritis Clinic, National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology, and Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland
2
Department of Rheumatology, National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology, and Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland
Submission date: 2025-07-14
Final revision date: 2025-09-28
Acceptance date: 2025-10-16
Publication date: 2026-04-28
Corresponding author
Reumatologia 2026;64(2):77-82
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The relationship between lipid metabolism and inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remains unclear. This study evaluated whether serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are associated with synovial vascularization measured by quantitative power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in patients with active RA and PsA.
Material and methods:
The single-center study enrolled 60 patients diagnosed with RA and a group of 20 patients with PsA with the clinical presentation resembling RA. Serum LDL-C levels were measured, and disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the Simplified Disease Activity Index. Synovial membrane vascularization was quantified using PDUS, and a vascularity index – the PDUS index (INDEX%) – was calculated in the region of interest.
Results:
No significant correlation was found between serum LDL-C concentration and INDEX% for both groups (r = 0.2). The majority of patients in both groups (76.2%) had LDL-C levels in the normal range, consistent with the lipid paradox in inflammation.
Conclusions:
Serum LDL-C levels were not correlated with INDEX%. These findings suggest that LDL-C levels do not significantly influence synovial membrane vascularization in patients with active RA or PsA.
The relationship between lipid metabolism and inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remains unclear. This study evaluated whether serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are associated with synovial vascularization measured by quantitative power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in patients with active RA and PsA.
Material and methods:
The single-center study enrolled 60 patients diagnosed with RA and a group of 20 patients with PsA with the clinical presentation resembling RA. Serum LDL-C levels were measured, and disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the Simplified Disease Activity Index. Synovial membrane vascularization was quantified using PDUS, and a vascularity index – the PDUS index (INDEX%) – was calculated in the region of interest.
Results:
No significant correlation was found between serum LDL-C concentration and INDEX% for both groups (r = 0.2). The majority of patients in both groups (76.2%) had LDL-C levels in the normal range, consistent with the lipid paradox in inflammation.
Conclusions:
Serum LDL-C levels were not correlated with INDEX%. These findings suggest that LDL-C levels do not significantly influence synovial membrane vascularization in patients with active RA or PsA.
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Copyright: © Narodowy Instytut Geriatrii, Reumatologii i Rehabilitacji w Warszawie. This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
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