Etanercept in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Vascular Inflammation

The primary goal of this preliminary project is to study the effect of etanercept, a medicine approved by Health Canada for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, on the inflammation of certain blood vessels. In particular, the inflammation of the aorta and the carotid arteries will be studied. This study's goal is to determine if etanercept (that blocks TNF (tissue necrosis factor) alpha) could have an effect on blood vessel inflammation. As well, the information from this study will be used to determine the number of patients to recruit in a future study. This study will evaluate the effect of etanercept on 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis at one rheumatology clinic in Montreal. The 10 patients will be recruited at the Montreal Rheumatology Institute (Institut de Rhumatologie de Montréal) and the images of the blood vessels taken at a medical imaging center will be analyzed by the Montreal Heart Institute. To evaluate vascular inflammation subjects will undergo a PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography).