Biventricular Myocardial Strain Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Motivation: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients may experience subclinical cardiac damage. Identifying early cardiac impairment in RA is crucial for preventive care. Goal(s): To assess biventricular myocardial strain in RA patients using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) and analyze correlations with RA clinical indicators. Approach: Sixty RA patients and 25 controls underwent CMR-FT to obtain strain parameters, including global radial strain (GRS), global longitudinal strain (GLS), and global circumferential strain (GCS). Results: RA patients exhibited significantly lower GLS and GCS values for both ventricles compared to controls, while GRS showed no significant difference. Reduced strain correlated with RA activity markers, highlighting early cardiac impairment. Impact: CMR-FT is an effective tool for detecting subclinical cardiac damage in RA patients, with myocardial strain analysis providing early diagnostic insights that may support timely therapeutic intervention.