Papers of the Week

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic disease of unknown ethology characterised by persistent inflammatory synovitis usually affecting peripheral joints with symmetric distribution. Most common cause of death in RA is cardiovascular disease and pericarditis is the most common form of cardiac involvement. Valvular disorders, coronary vasculitis and ventricular diastolic dysfunction can be seen. The aim and objective was to study the prevalence of cardiovascular involvement in the patients of RA and correlate the cardiovascular involvement with duration and severity of disease.