Early echocardiographic detection of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus asymptomatic for cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is now a leading cause of death for these patients. In this study, 23 SLE patients asymptomatic for CVD underwent a comprehensive echocardiographic examination to detect subclinical cardiac involvement. According to their SELENA-SLEDAI score, they were divided into two groups: SELENA-SLEDAI ≤ 12 (n = 13, 12 females) and SELENA-SLEDAI > 12 (n = 10, all females), indicative of mild-to-moderate and severe SLE, respectively. Patients in the latter group had significant increases in left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end-diastolic volume, left atrial volume and right heart parameters (pulmonary arterial pressure, tricuspid regurgitation velocity and diameter of the inferior cava) compared to the mild-to-moderate group. Alterations of the early to late diastolic trans-mitral flow velocity (E/A) were found in 39% of patients, equally distributed between the two groups. The Framingham score of all patients correlated directly with LV mass, interventricular septum thickness and posterior wall thickness, but did not significantly differ between patients with severe and mild-to-moderate SLE. These findings reveal the presence of early-stage, and thus clinically silent, diastolic dysfunction in patients with severe SLE. They demonstrate the poor predictive value of the Framingham score in CVD risk stratification of patients with SLE, thus highlighting the crucial role of echocardiography in the diagnostic workup of these patients.