Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42723808›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026

Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease in relation to cytomegalovirus infection: a pilot cross-sectional study.

Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kaif, Laith A I K Al-Kaif, Zaid Saad Madhi, Dalya Talal Fathi Al-Azzawi, Wael Rasheed Obaead Alfatlawi, Sarah Kassab Shandaway Al-Zamali, Fatin Alaa Abdul Ameer Mahdi, Haibo Liu

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Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mohammed Ahmed Al-KaifDepartment of Cardiology, QingPu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Qingpu, Shanghai, China.
Laith A I K Al-KaifDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Hammurabi College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq.
Zaid Saad MadhiDepartment of Medical Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, College of Health and Medical Techniques, Al-Mustaqbal University, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq.
Dalya Talal Fathi Al-AzzawiDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Iraqia University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Wael Rasheed Obaead AlfatlawiDepartment of Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq.
Sarah Kassab Shandaway Al-ZamaliDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Hammurabi College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq.
Fatin Alaa Abdul Ameer MahdiDepartment of Surgery, Hammurabi College of Medicine, University of Babylon, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq.
Haibo LiuDepartment of Cardiology, QingPu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Qingpu, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) face increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk not fully explained by traditional factors. Chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may contribute through immune activation and vascular inflammation. This pilot study investigated associations between CMV serostatus, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and inflammatory markers in patients with RA and/or CVD. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 76 participants (CVD = 40, RA = 18, RA+CVD = 18). Serum anti-CMV antibodies, VEGF-A, and IL-6 were measured by ELISA; CRP was assessed by agglutination; and CMV viral load was quantified by RT-PCR. Group comparisons analyses were performed. Results: CMV seroprevalence was 80.3% overall (CVD: 82.5%; RA: 77.8%; RA+CVD: 77.8%). VEGF-A levels were higher in CMV positive vs. CMV negative individuals, but the differences were not statistically significant; these data are inconclusive regarding a true association (e.g., overall mean: 67.8 vs. 44.5 pg/mL, Conclusions: This pilot study is underpowered for definitive conclusions and should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Although VEGF-A levels were higher in CMV positive individuals, the association was not statistically significant and the data are inconclusive. Larger, adequately powered studies are needed to clarify the role of CMV and angiogenic pathways in RA associated CVD.

Indexed as

biomarkerscardiovascular diseasechronic inflammationcytomegalovirusrheumatoid arthritisVEGF-A

Identifiers

PMID42723808
PMCPMC13558033

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.