{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:31:52Z","timestamp":1788827512009,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782691200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019783","name":"National Agency for Research and Development","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["25.00208.8007.02\/PD"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["25.00208.8007.02\/PD"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019783","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk beyond traditional risk factors. Carotid intima\u2013media thickness (IMT) is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and may be influenced by chronic inflammation in RA. Objectives: This study aimed to compare carotid IMT between women with RA and age-matched controls, and to investigate the associations between IMT and RA-related factors, including disease duration, menopausal status, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies and the CD4\/CD8 T-cell ratio. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 59 women with RA and 55 age-matched controls. All RA patients received methotrexate and had no recent biologic DMARD exposure. Carotid IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. Clinical, laboratory, and immunologic parameters, including anti-CCP antibodies and CD4\/CD8 ratio, were analyzed. Results: Mean carotid IMT was significantly higher in RA patients than in controls (0.85 \u00b1 0.09 vs. 0.63 \u00b1 0.08 mm, p &lt; 0.0001). Within the RA group, IMT correlated positively with disease duration (r = 0.48, p &lt; 0.001), years since menopause (\u03c1 = 0.44, p = 0.001), anti-CCP titers (r = 0.31, p = 0.018) and CD4\/CD8 ratio (r = 0.42, p &lt; 0.001), and inversely with CD8 T-cell counts (r = \u22120.34, p = 0.009). In multivariable analysis, RA duration and CD4\/CD8 ratio remained independently associated with IMT after adjustment for age, lipids and blood pressure. Conclusions: Women with RA had greater carotid IMT than age-matched controls. Longer disease duration and a higher CD4\/CD8 ratio were independently associated with IMT, supporting a link between cumulative disease burden, T-cell imbalance and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in RA. These findings support routine cardiovascular risk assessment and consideration of vascular imaging in high-risk RA subgroups.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15135054","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T00:55:11Z","timestamp":1782780911000},"page":"5054","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Carotid Atherosclerosis and T-Cell Imbalance in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study of Intima\u2013Media Thickness, Anti-CCP Antibodies and CD4\/CD8 Ratio"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5029-2994","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Deseatnicova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Rheumatology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alesea","family":"Nistor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Rheumatology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Tigulea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Timofei Mo\u0219neaga Republican Clinical Hospital, MD-2025 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maia","family":"Grosu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Rheumatology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7042-814X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stela","family":"Dodu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Cardiology, MD-2025 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8957-8471","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eugeniu","family":"Russu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Rheumatology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"},{"name":"Timofei Mo\u0219neaga Republican Clinical Hospital, MD-2025 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3155-0422","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucia","family":"Andries","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Immunology, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liliana","family":"Groppa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Rheumatology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"402","DOI":"10.31138\/mjr.310824.cri","article-title":"Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Considerations on Assessment and Management","volume":"35","author":"Anyfanti","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mediterr. 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