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The following is a summary of “Flow Mediated Dilation in Systemic Sclerosis: Association with clinical findings, capillaroscopic patterns, and endothelial circulating markers,” published in the December 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Corrado et al.
This study endeavors to enhance comprehension regarding vascular damage’s pathophysiology in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) by examining endothelial dysfunction through Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) assessment and analyzing serum levels of circulating endothelial dysfunction markers.
Additionally, the correlation between macrovascular damage and clinical findings and microvascular capillaroscopic patterns was explored. A cohort of 57 SSc patients and 37 healthy individuals were enrolled, all undergoing radial artery FMD tests and Nailfold Video-Capillaroscopy, with a concurrent evaluation of serum levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and angiopoietin-2. The findings revealed that SSc patients exhibited reduced FMD and prolonged time for achieving maximal FMD response compared to healthy subjects.
Concurrently, the serum levels of VEGF, VCAM-1, and angiopoietin-2 were notably elevated in SSc patients. The decline in FMD values was linked to disease duration, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and digital ulcers, exhibiting a correlation with heightened microvascular damage as assessed by Nailfold Video-Capillaroscopy. Moreover, an inverse association between VEGF, angiopoietin-2, VCAM-1 level, and FMD was established, particularly noting significantly elevated VEGF and angiopoietin-2 levels in patients with digital ulcers and pulmonary arterial hypertension. The study’s outcomes suggest that the FMD ultrasound test and circulating levels of endothelial dysfunction markers could serve as valuable biomarkers for vasculopathy, potentially offering a beneficial approach to comprehensively assessing vascular injury among Systemic Sclerosis patients.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S153718912300112X
