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Clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with systemic sclerosis: an observational, multicentre study of GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33

 

  1. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy. vasiliki.liakouli@unicampania.it, vasiliki_liakouli@yahoo.it
  2. Unit of General, Mininvasive, Oncological and Bariatric Surgery Teaching Hospital, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  3. Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
  4. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  5. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  6. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  7. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  8. Clinical and Research Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Biomedico, Rome; Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Rome Campus Biomedico, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
  9. Clinical and Research Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Biomedico, Rome; Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Rome Campus Biomedico, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
  10. Clinical and Research Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Biomedico, Rome; Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Rome Campus Biomedico, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
  11. Clinical and Research Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Biomedico, Rome; Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Rome Campus Biomedico, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
  12. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Italy.
  13. Rheumatic and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy.
  14. Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Rheumatology section, University of Palermo, Italy.
  15. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Italy.
  16. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Italy.
  17. Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
  18. Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Senese, Siena, Italy.
  19. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Italy.
  20. Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Rheumatology section, University of Palermo, Italy.
  21. Rheumatology Clinic, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Italy.
  22. Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicina dei Sistemi, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
  23. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, ARNAS Garibaldi Hospital, Catania, Italy.
  24. Internal Medicine Unit, University Hospital G. Martino, University of Messina, Italy.
  25. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Italy.
  26. Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
  27. Rheumatology Clinic, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Italy.
  28. Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicina dei Sistemi, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
  29. Rheumatic and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy.
  30. Academic Rheumatology Centre, Hospital Mauriziano, Department of Clinical and Biological Science, University of Turin, Italy.
  31. Unit of General, Mininvasive, Oncological and Bariatric Surgery Teaching Hospital, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
  32. Clinical and Research Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Biomedico, Rome; Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Rome Campus Biomedico, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
  33. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.

CER17699
2024 Vol.42, N°8
PI 1645, PF 1655
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PMID: 39152753 [PubMed]

Received: 19/03/2024
Accepted : 24/06/2024
In Press: 14/08/2024
Published: 14/08/2024

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
Conflicting results about clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and the associated risk factors have been reported. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in a large number of Italian SSc patients and the associated risk factors.
METHODS:
This study included 613 SSc patients from 11 Italian tertiary Rheumatologic Units. All patients underwent full history taking, clinical examination, and relevant laboratory and radiological investigations. Doppler ultrasonography (US) of the common carotid and upper and lower limbs was performed to measure carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (cIMT and fIMT), and carotid and peripheral atheroma plaques. Doppler US of the brachial artery was performed to measure flow-mediated dilatation (FMD).
RESULTS:
Patients were mostly women (91.4%) with a median age of 61 years (range, 20-100); a median disease duration of 14 years (range, 0–77) from the onset of the first non-Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP); 9.3% had a history of clinical atherosclerosis (9 stable/unstable angina, 21 myocardial infarctions, 24 heart failure, 3 strokes, 8 transient ischaemic attack, 6 intermittent claudication, 10 atrial thrombo-embolism). In 37.1% of patients, subclinical atherosclerosis was detected, after excluding those with a history of clinical atherosclerosis. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis was higher than that reported by the European Society of Cardiology and observational studies that enrolled Italian healthy individuals as a control group, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
A higher prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis was detected in SSc Italian patients and correlated with traditional and SSc-related risk factors.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/zr8j5p

Rheumatology Article