Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Vascular involvement in Behçet's disease: ultrasound assessment of femoral vein intima-media thickness, nailfold capillaroscopy and endothelial progenitor cells in a national referral centre
Authors' conclusion
The assessment of CFV IMT with Doppler US constitutes a useful technique to evaluate clinical vascular involvement in BD patients. Microvascular involvement is not uncommon in BD and can be easily assessed by NFC. Furthermore, EPC may be a useful blood biomarker of the disease.
Study context
- Population
- Unselected consecutive patients with Behçet's disease (BD) assessed in a national referral centre
- Participants
- 42 patients
- Exposure
- BD patients with vs without clinical vascular manifestations; BD patients vs healthy controls (endothelial progenitor cells (EPC))
- Vascular manifestationsn = 17
- Outcome
- Common femoral vein (CFV) intima-media thickness (IMT) (Doppler ultrasound (US)), median [IQR]
Methodological detailsunselected consecutive patients, national referral centre
- Unselected consecutive patients
- National referral centre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Vascular manifestations
0.65
median · IQR 0.45–0.82
No vascular manifestations
0.49
median · IQR 0.39–0.55
P = 0.028
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| EPC frequency, BD vs HCSignificant increase in BD | P = 0.011 |
Arterial hypertension and vascular manifestations
- Arterial hypertension associated with higher frequency of vascular manifestations
- P = 0.003
Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) findings in BD patients
- Abnormal NFC
- 54.8%
- Capillary loop dilation
- 45.2%
- Mega capillaries
- 21.4%
- Micro haemorrhages
- 16.7%
Original publication
Vascular involvement in Behçet's disease: ultrasound assessment of femoral vein intima-media thickness, nailfold capillaroscopy and endothelial progenitor cells in a national referral centre. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Published 19 November 2022. doi:10.
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