Heart disease in the course of systemic sclerosis – an observational study

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac involvement is one of the major mortality factors in systemic sclerosis (SSc). This observational study aimed to compare patients with and without heart involvement in the course of SSc. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic medical records of patients treated between January 2021 and August 2022 in the Department of Rheumatology were searched for the diagnosis of SSc (ICD-10 code M47). The clinical characteristics of patients with and without heart involvement in the course of SSc were compared. RESULTS: Out of 36 patients with SSc, 7 patients were diagnosed with heart disease in the course of SSc. The major type of cardiac involvement was myocarditis (71%). The majority of patients with heart involvement had elevated troponin (86%) and NT-proBNP (71%) concentrations. The most common finding observed in echocardiography was diastolic failure (71%). The most frequent abnormality found in 24-hour Holter ECG was isolated supraventricular extrasystoles (100%). Risk factors for developing heart disease in the course of SSc were male gender (p = 0.018), diffuse type of SSc (p = 0.03), higher values of modified Rodnan skin score (p < 0.001), gastrointestinal tract involvement (p = 0.027) and myositis (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Optimal screening for heart disease is needed in this group of patients.