Patient and disease characteristics in 50 patients with juvenile MCTD according to left ventricular function.
| Characteristics | Normal LV Function, n = 42 | LV Dysfunction, n = 8 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics at examination | |||
| Female sex, n (%) | 37 (88) | 5 (63) | 0.328 |
| Age, yrs | 27.2 (19.0–34.1) | 26.2 (20.5–38.4) | 0.731 |
| Disease duration from symptom onset, yrs | 14.0 (6.5–23.3) | 15.2 (12.3–22.9) | 0.543 |
| Anti-dsDNA–positive, n (%) | 5 (12) | 1 (13) | 0.962 |
| aPL, n (%) | 6 (14) | 1 (13) | 0.894 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.3 (20.4–23.5) | 25.6 (20.8–28.6) | 0.144 |
| Never smokers, n (%) | 29 (71) | 5 (63) | 0.644 |
| SBP, mmHg | 110.0 (103.3–116.8) | 119.5 (112.0–131.0) | 0.032 |
| DBP, mmHg | 65.5 (59.0–71.8) | 72.0 (65.8–77.5) | 0.045 |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/l | 2.40 (2.0–3.0) | 2.40 (2.1–2.9) | 0.791 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/l | 1.30 (1.1–1.6) | 1.25 (0.9–1.5) | 0.465 |
| ApoA-I, mg/l | 1.4 (1.1–1.7) | 1.5 (1.1–1.7) | 0.723 |
| ApoB, mg/l | 0.7 (0.6–0.9) | 0.8 (0.8–1.0) | 0.023 |
| ApoB/ApoA-I ratio | 0.50 (0.4–0.6) | 0.59 (0.5–0.9) | 0.193 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l | 0.8 (0.7 –1.2) | 1.2 (0.7–1.6) | 0.203 |
| Pro-BNP, mmol/l | 7.9 (3.7–12.8) | 4.7 (2.9–8.1) | 0.166 |
| Pathological ECG, n (%)* | 7 (23) | 2 (33) | 0.407 |
| Disease activity at examination | |||
| Active disease, n (%) | 28 (67) | 7 (88) | 0.239 |
| No. active joints | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–3.5) | 0.159 |
| Anti-RNP, titer × 103 U/l | 158 (31–240) | 223 (68–240) | 0.417 |
| ESR, mm/h | 8.0 (5.0–14.5) | 12.5 (5.0–19.0) | 0.707 |
| CRP, mg/l | 0.7 (0.5–1.4) | 1.3 (0.6–3.5) | 0.442 |
| PGA, 10-cm VAS | 1.6 (0–5.5) | 3.0 (0.4–5.8) | 0.019 |
| RP, 10-cm VAS | 2.9 (1.3–5.4) | 6.6 (1.2–7.2) | 0.220 |
| Rodnan skin score | 0 (0) | 0 (0–3.5) | 0.172 |
| SLEDAI, median (range) | 0 (0–4) | 0 (0–4) | 0.635 |
| Organ damage | |||
| MDI | 1.0 (0–2.0) | 6.0 (1.0–3.8) | 0.047 |
| LROM | 0 (0–4.0) | 7.0 (0–19.0) | 0.218 |
| SLICC | 1.0 (0–1.0) | 1.0 (0–1.0) | 0.929 |
| JADI | 0 (0–0) | 0.5 (0–13.3) | 0.051 |
| Medications at examination, n (%) | |||
| NSAID | 10 (24) | 1 (13) | 0.666 |
| Steroids | 11 (26) | 3 (38) | 0.670 |
| Antimalarials | 23 (55) | 4 (50) | 1.000 |
| Methotrexate | 12 (29) | 1 (13) | 0.662 |
| Azathioprine | 3 (7) | 2 (25) | 0.176 |
| MMF | 1 (2) | 1 (13) | 0.297 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Anti-TNF | 2 (5) | 0 | 1.000 |
| Rituximab | 0 | 1 (13) | 0.160 |
| Calcium antagonists | 6 (14) | 4 (50) | 0.041 |
| Current prednisolone dose, mg | 0 (0–2.0) | 0 (0–6.4) | 0.493 |
| Time taking steroids, mos | 7.5 (2.0–38.3) | 42.0 (24.3–84.0) | 0.015 |
Values are in median (IQR) unless otherwise stated. Values in bold face are statistically significant.
↵* N = 37 (31 with normal LV, 6 with LVD). Includes anticardiolipin antibodies IgG or IgM, and/or anti-β2 glycoprotein IgG or IgM, and/or lupus anticoagulant. MCTD; mixed connective tissue disease; LV: left ventricular; aPL: antiphospholipid antibodies; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; SSc: systemic sclerosis; PM: polymyositis; BMI: body mass index; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; ApoA-I: apolipoprotein A-I; ApoB: apolipoprotein B; pro-BNP: pro-brain natriuretic peptide; ECG: electrocardiography; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; PGA: physician’s global assessment; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Activity Index; MDI: Myositis Damage Index; LROM: limited range of motion; SLICC: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics; JADI: Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; anti-TNF: anti-tumor necrosis factor; IQR: interquartile range; LVD: LV dysfunction; VAS: visual analog scale; RP: Raynaud phenomenon; MMF: mycophenolate mofetil.