Letter by Lensen et al Regarding Article, “Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Therapy Reduces Aortic Inflammation and Stiffness in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis”

To the Editor : We read with interest the article by Maki-Petaja et al1 describing the effects of anti–tumor necrosis factor therapy on vascular inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The suggestion of subclinical vasculitis as a contributor to cardiovascular complications is intriguing, but was it really vasculitis they saw, or atherosclerosis? First, the pattern of aortic 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake does not suggest vasculitis. The focal rather than diffuse distribution of the lesions …