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Cardiac valvular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Relationship with anticardiolipin antibodies

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Abstract

We performed two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography in 52 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and in 34 healthy controls. In 25 patients (48.1%) echocardiographic disturbances were found (25/52 vs 2/34, p<0.001). Valvular abnormalities were detected in 18 patients (34.6%) but in only two controls (18/52 vs 2/34, p<0.01). The mitral valve was involved in 12 patients (23.1%). The most frequent finding was mild (13.5%) and moderate (9.6%) regurgitation or valvular thickening (9.6%). The aortic valve was involved in six and the tricuspid valve in three patients (11.5% and 5.8%, respectively). Only one patient had echocardiographic non-infective verrucous vegetation affecting the tricuspid valve. We did not observe significant hemodynamic valve disease. Endocardial findings were related to disease duration (p<0.05) but not to disease activity. Twenty-eight SLE patients (53.8%) had increased anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL). Patients with aCL (particularly those with IgG class) were characterized by a high incidence of echocardiographic abnormalities (p<0.001), mainly valvular (mitral or aortic) regurgitation (p<0.05). We found a relationship between anticardiolipin antibodies and disease activity (p<0.05). In conclusion, we postulate a prominent role for anticardiolipin antibodies in the pathogenesis of heart valve disease in patients with SLE.

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Abbreviations

aCL:

anticardiolipin antibodies

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karol Marcinkowski University School of Medicine, Winogrady St 144, 61-626, Poznan, Poland

    Piotr Leszczyński, Ewa Straburzyńska-Migaj, Izabela Korczowska, Jan K. Łącki & Stefan Mackiewicz

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  1. Piotr Leszczyński
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  2. Ewa Straburzyńska-Migaj
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  3. Izabela Korczowska
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  4. Jan K. Łącki
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  5. Stefan Mackiewicz
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Correspondence to Piotr Leszczyński.

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Leszczyński, P., Straburzyńska-Migaj, E., Korczowska, I. et al. Cardiac valvular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Relationship with anticardiolipin antibodies. Clin Rheumatol 22, 405–408 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-003-0751-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-003-0751-0

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