Ab1184 Oscillometric, Greyscale- And Novel Power-Doppler-Ultrasound Indices of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Risk in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Data From the Sclerocard Cohort

Background: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are known to have a high cardiovascular (CV) and cerebrovascular (CVB) risk 1. In the context of SSc, microangiopathic manifestations like digital ulcers, nailfold capillaroscopic abnormalities, and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have been thoroughly examined. However, data on macrovascular involvement and accurate assessment tools of individual CV/CVB risk are scarce 3,4. Objectives: This study aimed to examine gold standard surrogates of CV risk and subclinical atherosclerosis, along with novel Doppler-sonographic markers of CVB risk and a retinal vessel analysis (RVA) parameter in a large cohort of patients with SSc (Systemic SCLEROsis CARDiovascular risk cohort; SCLEROCARD). Moreover, it sought to evaluate correlations of these markers with disease- and patient-associated characteristics, as well as with traditional CV risk factors. Methods: The SCLEROCARD study focuses on CV/CVB-risk examination in patients treated for SSc (EULAR/ACR-criteria) in a multicenter study setting. Patients and healthy controls underwent oscillometric and B-mode ultrasound (US) examinations (aortic stiffness, carotid-Intima-Media-Thickness, qualitative padj= 0.002). Similarly, cIMT 0.92 mm (0.8–1.1, IQR) vs. 0.83 mm (0.65–0.89); pConclusion: This study represents one of the most extensive investigations into CV surrogate markers within the SSc field. It is moreover the first study highlighting the potential diagnostic role of cfPWV in screening for PAH among SSc patients. Our findings demonstrate that individuals with SSc exhibit significantly increased aortic stiffness and more pronounced carotid atherosclerosis compared to healthy controls, suggesting a heightened CV/CVB risk. To summarize, cfPWV and carotid sonography may prove valuable in early identification of SSc patients at high risk for CV events and PAH. REFERENCES: [1 Cen X, et al. Medicine. 2020;99(47):e23009. 2 Triantafyllias, K., et al. Diagnostics. 2023;13(11),1870. 3 Triantafyllias K, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2019;37(6):994-1002. Table 1. Descriptive characteristics. *p-value Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: Konstantinos Triantafyllias Pfizer, Novartis, Galapagos, UCB, Janssen, Chugai, Sanofi, AbbVie, Pfizer, Galapagos, Anna Raetsch: None declared, Andreas Schwarting: None declared.