Patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) have increased cardiovascular risk, but data on the association between hypertension and vascular stiffness in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remain limited. An observational study presented at the ESH 2026 evaluated ultrasound indices of arterial stiffness and subclinical atherosclerosis among patients with AS and PsA stratified according to hypertension status. 

Vascular assessments included carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AI), beta-stiffness index, arterial compliance (AC), and elastic modulus (Ep). 

Findings

• The study included 123 patients with SpA, including 83 with ankylosing spondylitis and 40 with psoriatic arthritis. Among them, 81 patients had hypertension and 42 did not.
• Patients with hypertension demonstrated significantly greater carotid intima-media thickness (0.68 vs 0.57 mm; p=0.009) and higher pulse wave velocity values (6.41 vs 5.94 m/s; p=0.019) than patients without hypertension.
• Measures of arterial stiffness, including beta-stiffness index, augmentation index, and elastic modulus, were also significantly higher among patients with hypertension.
• ESR levels were significantly elevated among patients with hypertension, while CRP levels did not differ significantly between groups.
• Smoking prevalence and lipid parameters were comparable between patients with and without hypertension.

Hypertension was associated with greater arterial stiffness and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with SpA, alongside higher ESR levels. These findings support the importance of cardiovascular risk assessment and blood pressure evaluation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.