Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in left ventricular systolic function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Yuhong Liu; Shanshan Yin; Zhiming Lin; Changlin Zhao; Hui Zhang

doi:10.1007/s10067-024-06929-0

Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in left ventricular systolic function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Clin Rheumatol. 2024 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s10067-024-06929-0. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuhong Liu¹, Shanshan Yin², Zhiming Lin¹, Changlin Zhao³, Hui Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rheumatology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Ultrasound, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Cardiovascular, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. zhaocl66@163.com.
⁴ Department of Ultrasound, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. zhang9@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38653848
DOI: 10.1007/s10067-024-06929-0

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate whether two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) can be considered a criterion for early left ventricular (LV) systolic impairment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to further explore the association with each other.

Methods: We included 38 patients with SLE and assessed the degree of disease activity according to the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) 2000 scoring criteria, together with 38 healthy controls who were matched by sex and age. Routine LV systolic function evaluation parameters were obtained by echocardiography as well as 2DSTE measurement of LV strain parameters to obtain global longitudinal strain (GLS) values, respectively.

Results: (I) On routine LV function parameters such as ejection fractions (EF) and left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter (LVIDd), the SLE group and the control group did not reflect differences. In contrast, on the LV strain parameter obtained from 2DSTE measurements, the GLS values in all cardiac planes were lower in the SLE group than in the control group and showed statistically significant differences. (II) Correlation analysis showed that there was a correlation between SLEDAI and GLS, especially a meaningful correlation with GLS Avg and GLS A4C, with correlation coefficients of 0.35 and 0.47, respectively.

Conclusions: The use of 2DSTE can detect early impaired LV systolic function in SLE patients, and GLS is progressively gaining attention as an indicator of subclinical myocardial injury and LV function in SLE patients. The correlation that exists between GLS and SLEDAI might contribute to a better assessment of cardiac involvement in SLE patients. Key Points • Cardiac involvement has become one of the major factors in the poor prognosis of SLE patients, which directly affects the mortality of SLE patients. Traditional echocardiography is difficult to detect early left ventricular function impairment, thus affecting clinicians' judgment and diagnosis. • 2DSTE can recognize subclinical myocardial injury in SLE patients at an early stage, and its derived strain parameters may be used as an indicator to evaluate myocardial involvement and reflect disease activity in SLE patients.

Keywords: Global longitudinal strain; Left ventricular systolic function; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography.