Association between peripheral vascular damage and pulmonary hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis
Main Article Content
Abstract
Peripheral vascular manifestations such as Raynaud’s phenomenon and digital ulcers are suggested to share a common pathogenesis with pulmonary vascular damage in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). This study aimed to: (1) Determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and (2) Identify the association between vascular manifestations and PH in SSc patients. This descriptive cross-sectional study involved 143 patients. PH was defined by echocardiography when pulmonary artery systolic pressure was > 35 mmHg. Results showed that the prevalence of PH recorded via echocardiography was 18.9%. The PH group had significantly higher rates of Raynaud’s phenomenon (96.3% vs. 80.2%, p = 0.047) and digital loss (25.9% vs. 6.0%, p = 0.005) compared to the non-PH group. Multivariable regression analysis identified digital loss as an independent risk factor for PH with OR = 6.851 (95% CI: 1.846 – 25.426; p = 0.004). The study suggests that screening for PH is necessary in patients with severe peripheral vascular damage.
Article Details
Keywords
Systemic sclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, Raynaud, digital ulcer
References
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