The evaluation of right ventricle dyssynchrony by speckle tracking echocardiography in systemic sclerosis patients.

PURPOSE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with right ventricle (RV) remodeling and dysfunction. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate RV dyssynchrony (RV-Dys) in SSc patients using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). METHODS: Fifty-five SSc patients with functional class I-II and 45 healthy controls were consecutively included and underwent 2D-STE. RV-Dys was defined as the standard deviation of time to peak strain of mid and basal segments of RV free wall and interventricular septum. SSc group was further classified according to the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Patients with tricuspid regurgitant velocity >2.8 m/s with additional echocardiographic PAH signs were defined as SSc PAH (+). RESULTS: SSc patients had lower RV longitudinal strain (RV-LS) (-17.6 ± 4.6% vs. -20.8 ± 2.8%, p < 0.001) and greater RV-Dys (49.9 ± 25.4 ms vs 24.3 ± 11.8 ms, p = 0.006) than controls despite no significant difference in conventional echocardiographic variables regarding RV function. Although SSc PAH(+) patients had lower RV-LS and higher RV-Dys than SSc PAH(-) patients, the differences were not statistically significant. The only independent predictor of RV-Dys was RV-LS (ß:-0.324 [-3.89- -0.45]; p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: SSc patients had not only reduced RV-LS but also impaired RV synchronicity even as conventional echocardiographic variables were preserved.

Validation of the adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome score in a single centre cohort of APS patients from Turkey.

The adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome score (aGAPSS) is a recently developed thrombotic risk assessment score that considers the antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the validity of the aGAPSS in predicting clinical manifestations (criteria and extra-criteria) of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in a single centre cohort of patients. Ninety-eight patients with APS ± systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were classified according to clinical manifestations as vascular thrombosis (VT), pregnancy morbidity (PM) or both (VT + PM). The aGAPSS was calculated for each patient as previously defined. Mean aGAPSS of the cohort was calculated as 10.2 ± 3.8. Significantly higher aGAPSS values were seen in VT (n = 58) and VT + PM (n = 29) groups when compared to PM (n = 11) group (10.6 ± 3.7 vs 7.4 ± 2.9, P = 0.005; 10.7 ± 4 vs 7.4 ± 2.9, P = 0.008, respectively), mainly due to lower frequencies of cardiovascular risk factors in PM. Higher aGAPPS values were also associated with recurrent thrombosis (11.6 ± 3.7 vs 9.9 ± 3.6, P = 0.04). Regarding extra-criteria manifestations, patients with livedo reticularis (n = 11) and APS nephropathy (n = 9) had significantly higher aGAPSS values (12.9 ± 3.4 vs 9.9 ± 3.7, P = 0.02; 12.4 ± 2.9 vs 10 ± 3.8, P = 0.04, respectively). The computed AUC demonstrated that aGAPSS values ≥10 had the best diagnostic accuracy for thrombosis. Our results suggest that patients with higher aGAPSS values are at higher risk for developing vascular thrombosis (either first event or recurrence) and extra-criteria manifestations, especially livedo reticularis and APS nephropathy.

Evaluation of salivary gland ultrasonography in primary Sjögren's syndrome: does it reflect clinical activity and outcome of the disease?

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations between salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) and clinical characteristics, disease activity and outcome in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: The parotid and submandibular salivary glands were examined by ultrasonography using two different scoring systems proposed by Hocevar et al. and Milic et al. on 85 pSS patients. Patients with inhomogeneity/hypoechoic areas with scores ≥2 in parotid and submandibular glands were classified as severe parotid or severe submandibular involvements, respectively. Disease activity and patient-reported severity were evaluated using the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) and the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Salivary gland functional capacity was investigated by unstimulated whole saliva flow rate (U-WSFR). RESULTS: Of the activity scores, ESSPRI dryness component was higher in pSS patients who had scores above the cut-off values for Hocevar (6.1±2.3 vs. 4.9±2.6, p=0.026). The patients with any type of systemic involvement more frequently showed higher SGUS scores, according to both Hocevar (72.4 vs. 44.6%, p=0.013) and Milic (75.9 vs. 51.8%, p=0.026). These patients also showed a higher percentage of severe parotid/submandibular changes on US imaging (65.5 vs. 33.9%, p=0.005 and 75.9 vs. 51.8%, p=0.026 respectively). Higher SGUS scores according to cut-off values of both scoring systems and severe parotid/submandibular involvements were associated with both anti-Ro or double anti-Ro/La autoantibodies and inversely associated with U-WSFR. CONCLUSIONS: SGUS may be a useful imaging modality for the selection of patients with more severe disease status or who may require a tight follow-up schedule.

Comparison of Disease Characteristics, Organ Damage, and Survival in Patients with Juvenile-onset and Adult-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Combined Cohort from 2 Tertiary Centers in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: Age at onset has been shown to affect the clinical course and outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein, we aimed to define the differences in clinical characteristics, organ damage, and survival between patients with juvenile-onset (jSLE) and adult-onset SLE (aSLE). METHODS: For the study, 719 patients (76.9%) with aSLE and 216 (23.1%) with jSLE were examined. Comparisons between the groups were made for demographic characteristics, clinical features, auto-antibody profiles, damage, and survival rates. RESULTS: These results were significantly more frequent in jSLE: photosensitivity, malar rash, oral ulcers, renal involvement, neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestations, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). Of the autoantibodies, a higher frequency of anti-dsDNA and anticardiolipin IgG and IgM were observed in the jSLE group. A significant proportion of patients with aSLE had anti-Sm positivity and pleuritis. The proportion of patients with jSLE who developed organ damage was comparable to that of patients with aSLE (53% vs 47%) and the mean damage scores were similar in both groups. Renal damage was significantly more frequent in jSLE while musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system damage and diabetes mellitus were more prominent in aSLE. Comparison of survival rates of the 2 groups did not reveal any significant differences. CONCLUSION: We report a higher frequency in the jSLE group of renal involvement, cutaneous symptoms, oral ulcers, NP manifestations, AIHA, and anti-dsDNA positivity. A significant proportion of patients in the jSLE group had damage, most prominently in the renal domain. Our findings might support different genetic/environmental backgrounds for these 2 subgroups.

Microscopic colitis in patients with Takayasu's arteritis: a potential association between the two disease entities.

The association of Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has previously been reported in case series. Microscopic colitis (MC) has IBD-like symptoms with regard to clinical and histopathological feature. We aim to assess the presence of MC in TAK patients in this study. We cross-sectionally assessed TAK patients, between the ages of 18-65 years, who were diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Disease activity was evaluated by Kerr's criteria. Age- and sex-matched irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients were selected as control group. All patients and controls have been interviewed for IBD and IBS symptoms using the questionnaires of WHO guideline and Rome III criteria, respectively. Lower endoscopic procedure was performed with at least five random biopsies taken from different colonic segments and the terminal ileum. A blinded expert pathologist evaluated the specimens for the features of MC. Thirty TAK patients (29 females and 1 male) with the mean age of 35 ± 11 years (range, 20-59 years) and 15 IBS controls with the mean age of 38 ± 13 years were included in the study. TAK patients all fulfilled the MC criteria (three "complete" and six "incomplete" cases). MC was found to be significantly higher in active TAK patients in comparison to inactive group (67 vs 14 %, p = 0.03, OR = 7.9). Our results show that there is an increased frequency of MC in TAK patients, and this is the first report on the association of TAK and MC.

Cluster analysis of autoantibodies in 852 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from a single center.

OBJECTIVE: Associations between autoantibodies and clinical features have been described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein, we aimed to define autoantibody clusters and their clinical correlations in a large cohort of patients with SLE. METHODS: We analyzed 852 patients with SLE who attended our clinic. Seven autoantibodies were selected for cluster analysis: anti-DNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anticardiolipin (aCL) immunoglobulin (Ig)G or IgM, lupus anticoagulant (LAC), anti-Ro, and anti-La. Two-step clustering and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were used. RESULTS: Five clusters were identified. A cluster consisted of patients with only anti-dsDNA antibodies, a cluster of anti-Sm and anti-RNP, a cluster of aCL IgG/M and LAC, and a cluster of anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies. Analysis revealed 1 more cluster that consisted of patients who did not belong to any of the clusters formed by antibodies chosen for cluster analysis. Sm/RNP cluster had significantly higher incidence of pulmonary hypertension and Raynaud phenomenon. DsDNA cluster had the highest incidence of renal involvement. In the aCL/LAC cluster, there were significantly more patients with neuropsychiatric involvement, antiphospholipid syndrome, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. According to the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index, the highest frequency of damage was in the aCL/LAC cluster. Comparison of 10 and 20 years survival showed reduced survival in the aCL/LAC cluster. CONCLUSION: This study supports the existence of autoantibody clusters with distinct clinical features in SLE and shows that forming clinical subsets according to autoantibody clusters may be useful in predicting the outcome of the disease. Autoantibody clusters in SLE may exhibit differences according to the clinical setting or population.