Subclinical myocardial involvement progresses in SSc patients

Dr Devis Benfaremo (Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy) described the progression of myocardial deformation in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and no overt cardiac disease and found that global longitudinal strain (GLS) impairment progressed over a 20-month follow-up period in these patients [1]. This was the main finding of an Italian prospective longitudinal study, which included 72 SSc patients (68 female, mean age 56.6 years) who fulfilled the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for SSc. Patients with structural heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or pulmonary hypertension were excluded from the study. An echocardiographic examination was performed for all patients at baseline and during their follow-up evaluation. Standard and speckle-tracking derived variables, including GLS, were acquired to assess systolic and diastolic function of the left (LV) and right ventricle (RV). Additional recorded data consisted of diseas...

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Posted on 14 August, 20206 January, 2021