Identification of a 3′-Untranslated Genetic Variant of RARB Associated With Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Genome-Wide Association Study

Abstract

To investigate the genetic background influencing the development of cardiovascular (CV) disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in which, after quality control and imputation, a total of 6,308,944 polymorphisms across the whole genome were analyzed in 2,989 RA patients of European origin. Data on subclinical atherosclerosis, obtained through assessment of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and presence/absence of carotid plaques by carotid ultrasonography, were available for 1,355 individuals. The present findings strongly suggest that genetic variation within RARB contributes to the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with RA.