[Prognostic factors in Raynaud's phenomenon: usefulness of antinuclear antibodies and of periungual capillaroscopy]. / Fattori prognostici nel fenomeno di Raynaud: utilità degli anticorpi antinucleo e della capillaroscopia periungueale.

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and nailfold capillary microscopy have been evaluated as prognostic markers in patients with apparently idiopathic Raynaud's phenomenon. Results have shown that either ANA and peculiar alterations in nailfold capillaries are important risk factors as regard to the evolution into a connective tissue disease; furthermore, when both these markers are present in a patient with Raynaud's phenomenon, the risk of evolution is even greater. When sensibility and specificity have been compared, ANA appeared to be a more sensible test but nailfold capillary microscopy seemed to be more specific. Our data suggest that ANA and capillary microscopy are important tests in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon; they should be performed in order to identify those patients who are at greater risk of evolving to overt connective tissue disease.

[Epidemiology of vascular diseases in Italy]. / Epidemiologia delle malattie vascolari in Italia.

The mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases was analysed for Italy as a whole and for individual regions in a sample year (1975). A distinction was made between cardiac and vascular diseases in order to assess the real incidence of the latter. The absolute number of deaths, the percentage mortality and the specific mortality quotient were studied. Deaths were also divided into age groups. Cardiovascular diseases were found to be the primary cause of death, circulatory disease the second. Among the latter, diseases of the encephalic circulation took first place. The same parameters were applied to the 1965-1983 period. Mortality due to cardiovascular disease remained constant over the period since the decrease in deaths from cardiac conditions was offset by an increase in those due to vascular disease in the strict sense. Finally the specific standardised mortality quotients per age and sex were considered in the 1970-1979 period. Mortality trends in Italy and in the individual regions were identical to those described using non-standardised indices.