Echocardiographic findings in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: Retrospective analysis in a tertiary referral centre

Abstract

Introduction

Transthoracic echocardiography is a useful noninvasive tool in the assessment of cardiac involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective

We aimed to investigate the main echocardiographic alterations in patients with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus and to describe the relationship between various disease factors and echocardiographic findings.

Materials and methods

We performed a retrospective review of patients with a diagnosis of SLE between 2016 and 2020 at a referral centre. All 98 patients were included, 87% were female, the mean age for the whole population was 35 years (IQR 27.0- 49.7), 40% had a recent diagnosis, 55% with previous or new diagnosis of arterial hypertension, 37% were using steroids at admission.

Results

Among the echocardiographic findings, 64.3% had valvular disease, 63% had pericardial involvement, 25.5% systolic function compromise, 27.5% some degree of diastolic dysfunction, 13% ventricular hypertrophy, 46% left atrial enlargement, 87% right ventricular systolic dysfunction, 24.5% some probability of pulmonary hypertension, 3% non-infectious vegetations. The presence of lupus activity was associated with a higher percentage of abnormal echocardiographic findings. There was no significant relationship between disease duration and cardiac abnormalities, anti-DNA and positive antiphospholipid antibodies were more frequently observed in the cardiac involvement group.

Conclusion

We consider that echocardiography should be part of the routine evaluation in patients with lupus. Right ventricular systolic dysfunction, pericardial involvement and non-significant valvular disease were the most frequently reported abnormalities.