Systemic sclerosis is associated with lower limb vascular stiffness and microvascular impairment: results from a prospective study - Sorbonne Université
Journal Articles Clinical Rheumatology Year : 2021

Systemic sclerosis is associated with lower limb vascular stiffness and microvascular impairment: results from a prospective study

Charles Cassius
Arsène Mekinian
Annick Barbaud
Patricia Senet
  • Function : Author

Abstract

Objective Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by microangiopathy. Peripheral arterial disease, increasingly studied during SSc, is responsible for digital ulcers, associated with a high risk of amputation. The aim of our study was to assess the frequency of lower limb arterial impairment in SSc patients by measuring ankle-brachial index (ABI), toe pressure (TP), and toe-brachial index (TBI). Methods Systemic sclerosis patients were included prospectively during 1 year in Tenon and Saint-Antoine Hospitals, Paris. Clinical and biological data were recorded. For each patient, ABI, TP, and TBI were measured and an arterial duplex ultrasonography was prescribed in case of abnormal results. Results Eighty-six patients were included (94% women, median age 62 years). Only 24% of them had no lower limb hemodynamic vascular abnormalities; 44% had an isolated microvascular abnormality (normal ABI and TBI<0.75); 31% had at least a macrovascular injury associated or not with microvascular impairment (abnormal ABI) and 12.6% had a TP<50 mmHg. During follow-up, there was a trend towards association of low TBI with more major adverse event (all-cause mortality, non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and lower limb ischemic manifestations) than normal TBI. Conclusion By measuring ABI and TP, we showed that 76% of SSc patients had hemodynamic arterial lower limb abnormalities related to macro- and/or microvascular impairment and that 28% had vascular stiffness. In SSc patients, ABI is not an accurate tool to detect lower limb arterial disease, likely due to underlying micro- and macrovascular changes.
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Dates and versions

hal-03177258 , version 1 (23-03-2021)

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Charles Cassius, Vannina Seta, Jean-Benoît Monfort, Nathalie Abdoucheli Baudot, Arsène Mekinian, et al.. Systemic sclerosis is associated with lower limb vascular stiffness and microvascular impairment: results from a prospective study. Clinical Rheumatology, 2021, ⟨10.1007/s10067-021-05672-0⟩. ⟨hal-03177258⟩
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