title: Gastric antral vascular ectasia and its clinical correlates in patients with early diffuse systemic sclerosis in the SCOT trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence and clinical correlates of endoscopic gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE; "watermelon stomach") in early diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects with early, diffuse SSc and evidence of specific internal organ involvement were considered for the Scleroderma: Cyclophosphamide Or Transplant (SCOT) trial. In the screening procedures, all patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Patients were then categorized into those with or without endoscopic evidence of GAVE. Demographic data, clinical disease characteristics, and autoantibody data were compared using Pearson chi-square or Student t tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three of 103 (22.3%) individuals were found to have GAVE on endoscopy. Although not statistically significant, anti-topoisomerase I (anti-Scl70) was detected less frequently among those with GAVE (18.8% vs 44.7%; p = 0.071). Similarly, anti-RNP antibodies (anti-U1 RNP) showed a trend to a negative association with GAVE (0 vs 18.4%; p = 0.066). There was no association between anti-RNA polymerase III and GAVE. Patients with GAVE had significantly more erythema or vascular ectasias in other parts of the stomach (26.1% vs 5.0%; p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic GAVE was present on screening in almost one-fourth of these highly selected patients with early and severe diffuse SSc. While anti-Scl70 and anti-U1 RNP trended toward a negative association with GAVE, there was no correlation between anti-RNA Pol III and GAVE. Patients with GAVE had a higher frequency of other gastric vascular ectasias outside the antrum, suggesting that GAVE may represent part of the spectrum of the vasculopathy in SSc.
authors: Rheumatology Associates of Houston, Division of Northwest Diagnostic Clinic, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors: Emily W
authors: EW
authors: Hung
authors: Maureen D
authors: MD
authors: Mayes
authors: Roozbeh
authors: R
authors: Sharif
authors: Shervin
authors: S
authors: Assassi
authors: Victor I
authors: VI
authors: Machicao
authors: Chitra
authors: C
authors: Hosing
authors: E William
authors: EW
authors: St Clair
authors: Daniel E
authors: DE
authors: Furst
authors: Dinesh
authors: D
authors: Khanna
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Forman
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Mineishi
authors: Kristine
authors: K
authors: Phillips
authors: James R
authors: JR
authors: Seibold
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Bredeson
authors: Mary Ellen
authors: ME
authors: Csuka
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: Nash
authors: Mark H
authors: MH
authors: Wener
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Simms
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Ballen
authors: Sharon
authors: S
authors: Leclercq
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Storek
authors: Ellen
authors: E
authors: Goldmuntz
authors: Beverly
authors: B
authors: Welch
authors: Lynette
authors: L
authors: Keyes-Elstein
authors: Sharon
authors: S
authors: Castina
authors: Leslie J
authors: LJ
authors: Crofford
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Mcsweeney
authors: Keith M
authors: KM
authors: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D020252:Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045743:Scleroderma, Diffuse / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology