Effects of infliximab treatment in terms of cardiovascular risk and insulin resistance in ankylosing spondylitis patients.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effects of infliximab treatment on insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

METHODS

In this prospective study, 30 consecutive AS patients (23 men and 7 women) fulfilling the modified 1984 New York criteria for AS were investigated. All patients were treated with intravenous infliximab. A complete biochemical profile and assesments were obtained before and after 12 weeks of infliximab therapy. The Homoeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance Index (HOMA-IR) was used to measure insulin resistance (IR). Framingham equation was used to assess cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS

After 12 weeks of infliximab treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, lipid parameters, body-mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio, whereas fasting glucose levels (p = 0.001), triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (p = 0.043) and total cholesterol/HDL (p = 0.041) ratio increased significantly from baseline. A significant decrease was observed for both systolic blood pressures (p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressures (p = 0.003) in the 12th-week visit. A significant decrease was also found in terms of Framingham risk scores (p = 0.028) after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results suggest that infliximab treatment may reduce cardiovascular risk and blood pressures without changing IR.