Atherosclerosis shares many similarities with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, among them rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and antibodies against beta2-glycoprotein I (anti-beta2GPI) have been detected in sera of RA patients in several studies. We demonstrated aCL and anti-beta2GPI in a selected group of 70 patients with RA (premenopausal women, non-diabetic, non-hypertensive) and compared them with age- and sex-matched controls. There was a significant higher internal carotid artery intima-media thickness and number of plaques in RA patients compared to controls. aCL of IgG and IgM classes were present in 15.7% of RA patients as compared to 5% in the control group. Thirty percent of RA patients had anti-beta2GPI of IgG, IgM and IgA classes compared to 7.5% in controls. Major differences were seen in IgG and IgA classes. Our results support the idea that aCL and anti-beta2GPI represent an important risk factor for atherosclerosis in RA patients. Elevated levels of phosphatidylserine-dependent antiprothrombin antibodies did not contribute significantly to the general prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies.