Abstract Background/Aims SSc is associated with up to 4-fold higher risk of cardiovascular involvement. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) multiparametric testing enables detection of subclinical myocardial abnormalities. Type I interferon (IFN) is implicated in vascular and fibrotic processes and higher levels correlate with markers of disease activity; however, its relationship with cardiovascular involvement has not been established. We therefore aimed to evaluate whether IFN activity and/or its chemokine correlates associate with myocardial involvement. Methods We previously reported on SSc patients without known SSc/non-SSc heart disease, diabetes, or 1 traditional cardiovascular risk factor who underwent CMR (3 Tesla Philips Achieva MR system)(1). Myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) was recorded. For this study, abnormal myocardial tissue (MT) was defined by one/more: non-ischaemic late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) scar, native T1 1050 ms (diffuse interstitial changes), and/or ECV 30% (diffuse fibrosis). Serum IFN score was derived from serum concentrations of CCL2, CCL8, CCL19, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11, with “high IFN” defined as ≥ 2 SD above healthy control mean1. χ² or Fisher’s exact test, Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients, and logistic regression were applied for independent associations (p 0.05 significant). Results 36 SSc patients were included, 13 with normal MT and 23 with abnormal MT. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups except for high hs-TnI (37 ng/L), significantly more frequent in the abnormal MT group (43.5% vs 15.4%, p = 0.02). Median NT-proBNP and hs-TnI were also numerically higher. Mean Luminex IFN scores were comparable (Table 1), but a high IFN signature was more frequent in abnormal MT (52.1% vs 23.1%, p = 0.03). IFN activity was not associated with individual quantitative CMR parameters. Among chemokines, CCL19 was higher in abnormal MT (192.2 ± 133.1 vs 169.0 ± 122.3 pg/mL, p = 0.03). IFN signature showed a moderate positive correlation with MPR (r = 0.36, p = 0.17), not statistically significant. Conclusion Myocardial tissue changes and injury are associated with a high IFN signature, specifically, increased CCL19 levels, suggesting a link between immune dysregulation and myocardial involvement. These exploratory findings warrant validation in larger cohorts to establish IFN as a biomarker of SSc-myocardial involvement and investigation to determine whether a therapeutic target in SSc-related cardiac disease. Disclosure C. Sieiro Santos: None. R. Dimitru: None. L. Bissell: None. B. Erhayiem: None. G. Fent: None. G. Abignano: None. M. Minerba: None. R. Ross: None. J. Greenwood: None. J. Biglands: None. S. Plein: None. F. Del Galdo: None. M. Buch: None.
Santos et al. (2026) studied this question.