title: Evaluation of differences in carotid intima-media thickness in patients affected by systemic rheumatic diseases.
abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate whether rheumatic autoimmune diseases, systemic sclerosis (SSc) in particular, are associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT). A total of 108 clinical outpatients (93 females), mean age 51 ± 14 years suffering from CTD were consecutively enrolled. Patients were subdivided into the following two groups: (1) Systemic Sclerosis (SSc, 60 patients); (2) non-Systemic Sclerosis (NoSSc, 48 patients). No randomization was managed. All patients underwent structured clinical interview, physical examination, laboratory evaluation and two-dimensional echo-color Doppler of the carotid arteries to measure C-IMT and atherosclerotic plaques. Framingham risk score was also calculated. We also enrolled 108 healthy controls (HC), matched by sex and age. The primary outcome was to stratify cardiovascular risk of CTD patients. There were no significant differences between SSc and NoSSc patients regarding any of the demographics and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Mean C-IMT was not significantly different between the whole CTD patients (0.86 ± 0.13 mm) and HC (0.83 ± 0.13 mm). C-IMT was significantly higher in SSc than in NoSSc group (0.91 ± 0.1 mm vs 0.80 ± 0.14 mm, p < 0.001). Furthermore, C-IMT in SSc group was significantly higher than C-IMT in controls (0.91 ± 0.1 mm vs 0.83 ± 0.13 mm, p < 0.001). C-IMT did correlate neither with disease activity nor with drug intake. SSc patients had a significant increase in C-IMT as compared to NoSSc patients and healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy. marcomatteo.ciccone@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Marco Matteo
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ciccone
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scicchitano
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Annapaola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zito
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rotondo
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coladonato
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gesualdo
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Notarnicola
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Florenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iannone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Cardiovascular risk; Carotid intima-media thickness; Systemic rheumatic diseases; Systemic sclerosis