Cardiac Function and Diastolic Dysfunction in Behcet's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Cardiovascular involvement is a known complication of Behcet's disease (BD).
• The prevalence and characteristics of cardiac dysfunction, specifically diastolic dysfunction (DD), in BD remain unclear.
• Understanding cardiac involvement is crucial for managing Behcet's disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze existing literature.
• To determine if cardiac dysfunction, particularly DD, is more prevalent in patients with Behcet's disease compared to controls.
• To identify specific echocardiographic parameters indicative of cardiac dysfunction in BD.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies.
• Inclusion of studies analyzing echocardiographic findings in Behcet's disease patients.
• Utilized a random-effects model to calculate effect sizes for echocardiographic parameters.

Main Results:

• Analysis included 22 studies with 1624 subjects.
• Behcet's disease patients showed significantly increased left atrial dimension, aortic diameter, and isovolumetric relaxation time.
• Patients with BD exhibited significantly reduced ejection fraction, prolonged mitral deceleration time, and a lower E/A ratio, indicating diastolic dysfunction.

Conclusions:

• Diastolic dysfunction is significantly increased in Behcet's disease patients.
• Elevated left atrial dimension and aortic diameter are observed in BD.
• Reduced ejection fraction in BD patients warrants further investigation.