Population characteristics, echocardiographic and invasive findings.
| Characteristics | N = 35 |
|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 65 ± 12 |
| Female, n (%) | 20 (57) |
| Weight, kg | 64 ± 12 |
| Height, cm | 163 ± 10 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 23.7 ± 7.4 |
| Pulmonary hypertension, n (%) | 25 (71) |
| NYHA, n (%) | |
| I | 3 (9) |
| II | 12 (34) |
| III | 19 (54) |
| IV | 1 (3) |
| SSc subset, n (%) | |
| Limited cutaneous | 30 (86) |
| Diffuse cutaneous | 5 (15) |
| Disease duration, mos | 5.3 ± 4.7 |
| SSc-related organ involvement, n (%) | |
| Skin | 35 (100) |
| Lung | 15 (43) |
| Heart | 2 (6) |
| Gastrointestinal* | 2 (6) |
| Kidney | 2 (6) |
| Muscle | 1 (3) |
| Immunological profile, n (%) | |
| Anticentromere antibodies | 16 (46) |
| Anti–Scl-70 | 6 (17) |
| Anti-RNA polymerase III | 2 (6) |
| Echocardiographic findings | |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction, % | 66 ± 8 |
| PASP, mmHg | 51 ± 16 |
| Right atrial pressure, mmHg | 6 ± 2 |
| TRV, m/s | 3.5 ± 0.6 |
| TVIRVOT | 15 ± 5 |
| Pulmonary acceleration time, ms | 3 ± 21 |
| TAPSE, mm | 20 ± 5 |
| Tricuspid annular S wave, m/s | 11 ± 3 |
| Right heart catheterization findings | |
| PVR, Wood units | 4.8 ± 2.3 |
| mPAP, mmHg | 31 ± 8 |
| PASP, mmHg | 53 ± 15 |
| PCWP, mmHg | 9 ± 4 |
| CO, l/min | 5.0 ± 1.0 |
| Right ventricular–to right atrial pressure gradient, mmHg | 45 ± 17 |
| Right atrial pressure, mmHg | 6 ± 4 |
↵* Gastrointestinal involvement excepting gastroesophageal reflux. Values are mean ± SD unless otherwise specified. NYHA: New York Heart Association; SSc: systemic sclerosis; PASP: pulmonary arterial systolic pressure; TRV: peak tricuspid regurgitant velocity; TVIRVOT: right ventricular outflow tract time-velocity integral; PCWP: pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; TAPSE: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion; PVR: pulmonary vascular resistance; mPAP: mean pulmonary artery pressure; PCWP: pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; CO: cardiac output.