Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Cardiac involvement in Behçet’s syndrome: findings from a clinically driven cardiological evaluation
Authors' conclusion
Cardiac involvement in BS is more common than traditionally reported when actively investigated. Cardiac involvement frequently occurs during active disease and in patients with a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors but suboptimal preventive therapy.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with Behçet's syndrome (BS) followed at a tertiary referral centre (Florence, Italy) who underwent clinically driven cardiological evaluationof 312 BS patients
- Participants
- 90 adults
- Exposure
- BS with vs without evidence of cardiac involvement
- Cardiac involvementn = 49
- Outcome
- Prevalence, patterns and clinical correlates of cardiac involvement
Methodological detailssingle-centre, tertiary referral centre, clinically driven cardiological evaluation
- Single-centre
- Tertiary referral centre
- Clinically driven cardiological evaluation
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Confirmed cardiac involvement (of 90 assessed)
49
Arrhythmias (most frequent)
15
Pericarditis
12
Ischaemic heart disease
8
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Timing of cardiac involvement after BS diagnosis
- 6.1 · median · IQR 2.5–8.7 · years
Timing of cardiac involvement after BS diagnosis
- In a proportion of patients it preceded or coincided with diagnosis
Disease activity, treatment and CV risk at cardiac involvement
- Active systemic disease at the time of cardiac involvement
- 93.9%
- Receiving immunosuppressant treatment
- 84%
- At least one traditional CV risk factor
- Over 80%
- Receiving CV primary prevention therapy before first event
- <40%
Sex differences in type of involvement
- Males more frequently ischaemic manifestations; arrhythmias more common in females
Cardiac-related deaths
- No cardiac-related deaths observed
Original publication
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