Scleroderma has been associated with an increase risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricular (LV) in asymptomatic scleroderma patients.

We included 25 scleroderma patients without symptoms or signs of heart failure or angina (groupe I) and 25healthy subjects (groupeII); the two groups had similar mean age, sex ratio, mean blood pressure and body mass index. All included subjects had no evidence of diabetes mellitus, valvular or ischemic heart diseases. We used standard echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI).

LV diastolic diameter and LV ejection fraction were similar in both group, however we observed lower mitral annulus systolic velocities measured by TDI in scleroderma patients (5.2±0.7cm/vs 8.6±0.9cm/s, p<0.01) reflecting subclinical LV systolic dysfunction. there was not significant difference in the ratio of early to late diastolic mitral filling velocities E/A and in deceleration time of E between the 2 groups. However mitral annulus early diastolic velocities Ea measured by TDI were markedly reduced in scleroderma patients (7.0±1.1cm/s vs. 12.5±1.4cm/s, p ±1.9vs.7.1 ±1.7; pdiastolic function.

This study shows the presence of systolic and diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic scleroderma patients. Tissue Doppler imaging may provide a useful tool to monitor the disease process and treatment response of this subclinical myocardial dysfunction.

The author hereby declares no conflict of interest