Sistemik Skleroz Hastalarında Mevcut Kapilleroskopik Bulgular ve Hastalık Tutulumları Arası Ilişkin Değerlendirilmesi
Abstract
Nailfold capillaroscopy is a simple method for determining
microvascular damage in systemic sclerosis. Although determination of
capillary changes is useful for diagnosis of systemic sclerosis, the
association between capillaroscopic findings with clinical features of systemic
sclerosis is controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate the
association of capillaroscopic scleroderma patterns with clinical features of
systemic sclerosis. We studied 68 systemic sclerosis patients. Medical
records of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were
categorized according to their capillaroscopy findings into 3 groups as having
early, active or late scleroderma patterns. Demographic characteristics,
clinical features and laboratory results of the patients were compared
between the groups. According to the nailfold capillaroscopy findings 23
(%33.8) patients had early scleroderma pattern, 24 (%35.3) active
scleroderma pattern, 18 (%26.5) late scleroderma pattern. Only 3 (4.4 %)
patients had normal capillaroscopy findings. The number of the patients with
interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension and digital ulceration
were not different between the groups (p > 0.05, for all). The mean disease
duration was longer in patients with late scleroderma pattern (11.8 ± 7.8
years) as compared to patients with normal/early (6.5 ± 3.7 years) and
active (8.2 ± 5.9 years) scleroderma patterns (p = 0.016). The mean
modified Rodnan skin score was also higher in patients with late scleroderma
pattern (12.5 ± 7.4) as compared to patients with normal/early (7.6 ± 4.4) and
active (7.5 ± 4.4) scleroderma patterns (p = 0.005). In this study severity of
skin involvement was found to be associated with capillaroscopic late
scleroderma pattern. Prospective studies are needed for defining the value of
capillaroscopy findings in the follow-up systemic sclerosis patients
accurately.
