PREVALENCE OF VALVULAR INVOLVEMENT IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS AND ASSOCIATION WITH ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME - A MATCHED ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC STUDY

Antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with sytemic lupus erythematos us (SLE) are often associated with thrombosis, recurrent abortions and thrombocytopenia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preva lence of cardiac valvular abnormalities in patients with SLE and to es tablish the relationship between the echographic findings and the pres ence of an antiphospholipid syndrome. A total of 52 consecutive patien ts with SLE and 52 healthy sex- and age-matched controls were therefor e evaluated in a cross-sectional study. All underwent M-mode and two-d imensional echocardiography, color-flow imaging, pulsed and continuous -wave Doppler. In the SLE group, subjects exposed to antiphospholipid syndrome (n = 20) were compared to controls. Patients with SLE had sig nificantly more mitral (p = 0.032; RR 2.48; 1.25-5.6) and tricuspid re gurgitations (p = 0.0016; RR 2.41; 1.58-8.85). There was no significan t difference between either group for mitral valve thickness (p = 0.66 ). The antiphospholipid syndrome was significantly associated with inc reased relative risk for tricuspid.