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Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is associated with SLEDAI in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Simin Guo1, Yujiao Wang1, Lingyun Sun2
1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
Insights
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) is associated with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in SLE patients. Higher SLEDAI scores indicate increased risk and progression of CAN, offering a valuable clinical indicator.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Cardiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
- CAN's potential link to SLE disease activity requires further investigation.
- Understanding this association can improve patient outcomes and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the association between SLEDAI and CAN in SLE patients.
- To evaluate the diagnostic value of SLEDAI for CAN.
- To identify SLEDAI as a potential risk factor for CAN development.
Main Methods:
- 144 SLE patients were assessed using SLEDAI and cardiovascular reflex tests (CARTs).
- Patients were categorized into non-CAN, early-CAN, and diagnosed-CAN groups.
- Statistical analysis (SPSS 26.0) examined the relationship between CARTs and SLEDAI.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in SLEDAI were observed across CAN severity groups.
- Increasing SLEDAI scores correlated with higher CARTs scores and parameter scores, even after adjustments.
- SLEDAI was identified as an independent risk factor for CAN (OR=1.227, P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- CARTs and SLEDAI are significantly correlated, with SLEDAI being a dependable indicator for CAN onset and progression.
- SLEDAI is an independent risk factor for CAN in SLE patients.
- This research provides a convenient method for clinical evaluation of CAN in SLE patients.
Introduction:
As a prevalent and severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) has garnered increasing attention. Reports suggested that CAN may be related to the disease activity of SLE. This study aims to explore whether Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) is associated with CAN and to evaluate its diagnostic value for CAN.
Method:
Altogether, 144 patients with SLE from the Rheumatology Department of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were included. Each patient underwent assessment with the SLEDAI and cardiovascular reflex tests (CARTs). Patients were classified into three groups: non-CAN, early-CAN and diagnosed-CAN based on the CARTs results. The relationship of CARTs and SLEDAI were analyzed using SPSS 26.0.
Results:
After being divided into three groups, there were significant differences in SLEDAI among them. With increasing SLEDAI score (P < 0.05), both CARTs scores and four individual parameters score increased significantly, both before and after adjusting for influencing factors (P < 0.05). Besides, in Logistic regression analysis, it identified that SLEDAI as an independent risk factor for CAN (OR = 1.227, 95%CI = 1.143-1.316, P < 0.001). Finally, after accounting for the influence of glucocorticoids, a significant positive correlation between CARTs and SLEDAI remained (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
As the gold standard in the diagnosing CAN, CARTs and four parameters are significantly correlated with SLEDAI. Furthermore, SLEDAI is also an independent risk factors for its development. In conclusion, this research demonstrated that SLEDAI is a dependable indicator for the onset and progression of CAN. Key Points • This study is the first to demonstrate a strong association between SLEDAI and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy, identifying SLEDAI as a risk factor for CAN in SLE patients. • This study offers a convenient and rapid method for the clinical evaluation of CAN in SLE patients, providing significant value in assessing cardiovascular complications.
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