Prevalence and risk factors for cardiovascular involvement in patients with early systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is linked to an increased risk of cardiac involvement, a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in this population. However, the influence of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, including male sex, advanced age, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the frequency of cardiovascular involvement and its associated risk factors in patients with early-stage SSc. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from the Turkish National Systemic Sclerosis Registry. A total of 251 patients who fulfilled the 2013 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria for SSc were included. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings were compared between patients with and without cardiovascular involvement. Potential risk factors for cardiovascular complications were identified.