RESEARCH ARTICLE
Vascular Function and Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis: the Role of Physical Activity
George S. Metsios1, 2, *, Antonios Stavropoulos Kalinoglou1, 2, Aamer Sandoo2, Jet J.C.S. Veldhuijzen van Zanten2, Tracey E. Toms2, Holly John2, George D. Kitas2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2010Volume: 4
First Page: 89
Last Page: 96
Publisher ID: TOCMJ-4-89
DOI: 10.2174/1874192401004010089
Article History:
Received Date: 20/11/2009Revision Received Date: 30/11/2009
Acceptance Date: 14/12/2009
Electronic publication date: 23/2/2010
Collection year: 2010
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Inflammation disturbs biochemical pathways involved in homeostasis of the endothelium. Research has established clear links between inflammatory mediators, particularly C-reactive protein and tumour necrosis factor alpha, endothelial dysfunction, and atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis may be subclinical at early stages, and thus the ability to detect them with non-invasive techniques is crucially important, particularly in populations at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, such as those with rheumatoid arthritis. This may allow the identification of interventions that may reverse these processes early on. One of the best non-pharmacological interventions that may achieve this is physical activity. This review explores the associations between inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and atherosclerosis and discusses the role of exercise in blocking specific pathways in the inflammation, endothelial dysfunction - atherosclerosis network.
