Impaired myocardial deformation in psoriatic arthritis patients assessment by speckle tracking echocardiography

We aimed to evaluate left ventricular (LV) mechanics of patients diagnosed with PsA and no clinical evidence for cardiovascular disease (CVD) using a novel, more sensitive technique which evaluates myocardial deformation in multidimensional planes for the detection of impaired LV function.

The study enrolled 31 PsA patients and sex-age matched 19 healthy controls. All participants underwent conventional echocardiography and 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain were measured.

Although patients with PsA had normal LV ejection fraction, the myocardial deformation in multidimensional planes was impaired. STE analysis results showed that PsA patients had significantly lower global longitudinal strain (mean±S.D. -17.11±2.83 % and -19.29±2 % respectively, p=0.005), global circumferential strain (mean±S.D. -14.28±3 % and -20.34±4.78 % respectively p<0.001) and global radial strain (mean±S.D. 29.26±10 % and 46.54±17 % respectively, p<0.001) versus control group. However, no correlation was found between longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strains and disease-related risk factors.

Subclinical impaired myocardial deformation was common in patients with PsA even with no clinical evidence for CVD. Thus, the use of this novel imaging technique could provide additional benefits for determining cardiovascular involvement at an early stage and risk stratification in PsA patients.