R. Omdal et al., Transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography and Doppler-examinations in systemic lupus erythematosus, SC J RHEUM, 30(5), 2001, pp. 275-281
Objective: To search for cardiac abnormalities in systemic lupus erythemato
sus (SLE).
Methods: 35 patients examined by 2-D transthoracal Doppler and transesophag
eal echocardiography.
Results: Mitral and aortic valve abnormalities were seen in 12 patients (34
%) respectively, and occurred altogether in 16 patients (46%). They were in
general significantly associated with longer disease duration, but not wit
h anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), disease activity, or any other variable
, except for time on corticosteroids, which was significantly longer in pat
ients with aortic valve calcifications.
Conclusion: Valve masses and valve thickening - often in combination - are
the most frequent structural findings in SLE, Occurring more often on the a
ortic than on the mitral valves. Factors other than antiphospholipid antibo
dies, medication, hypertension, or coronary heart disease seem to be respon
sible for this phenomenon. Drugs that modulate inflammation in endo- and pe
ricardial tissue may, at least in part, be responsible for the observed mit
ral valve calcifications and pericardial fibrosis.