Scans Help Early Detection of Heart Problem in Patients With Lupus

Imaging tests can identify heart abnormalities in a patient with lupus even before patient show any symptoms, finds a new study.

Imaging tests show early warning signs of the heart problem in patients who are newly diagnosed with lupus, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.

To determine whether //cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging might uncover early indicators of silent heart problems in patients with lupus, a team led by Meng Jiang, MD, Ph.D., FSCMR and Jun Pu, MD, Ph.D., FACC, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, studied 50 patients recently diagnosed with lupus, 60 patients with longstanding lupus, and 50 healthy controls.

Lupus Nephritis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Lupus nephritis occurs in 60% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is classified into 6 categories. The symptoms are fever, joint pain, swelling, and proteinuria, among others.

‘New Imaging tests can help detect heart problems in lupus patients earlier which may help protect the patient's heart from additional damage with required therapy.’

Imaging tests revealed structural and functional changes in the hearts of patients with lupus, and the extent of the changes including signs of scarring, or fibrosis was related to lupus stage.

The findings indicate that early detection and treatment of heart problems may benefit patients with lupus.

Current tests that assess lupus patients' heart health often do not examine changes that are visible with CMR. Therefore, CMR may be useful for detecting the markers of cardiac problems that arise early in the disease process. When these markers are evident, certain therapies may help protect patients' hearts from additional damage.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs like the joints, skin, kidney, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain.

"Our findings may affect current lupus diagnostics and treatment meaning more patients with silent cardiac insults could be identified and receive proper treatment," said Dr. Pu.

Also, once fibrosis appears at later stages, anti-fibrotic treatments may be appropriate, noted Dr. Jiang. "Whether these treatments will improve a patient's prognosis still needs to be evaluated by further clinical studies," she said.

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Source-Eurekalert

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