Have a personal or library account? Click to login
Capillaroscopic insights: exploring the connection between microvascular changes and pulmonary manifestations in systemic sclerosis Cover

Capillaroscopic insights: exploring the connection between microvascular changes and pulmonary manifestations in systemic sclerosis

Open Access
|Mar 2025

Figures & Tables

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients

Variables
Female (n, %)60 (94.99)
Age49±7.54
Duration of disease, months, (mean, min–max)42.05 (8–141)
Digital ulcers (n, %)13 (20.63)
mRSS (mean, min–max)10 (0–25)
Diffuse cutaneous SSc (n, %)19 (30.23)
Limited cutaneous SSc (n, %)36 (57.28)
Interstitial lung disease (n, %)38 (60.32)
Pulmonary hypertension (n, %)20 (31.75)
Fatigue, VAS, (mean±SD)5.05±2.52
Pain, VAS, (mean, min–max)3.48 (0–8)
PGA, VAS, (mean±SD)5.04±1.49
HAQ (median, min–max)0.44 (0–1)

Capillaroscopic examination findings of the patients

Variables
Enlarged capillaries (n, %)42 (66.67)
Megacapillaries (n, %)48 (76.19)
Hemorrhages (n, %)39 (61.9)
Neoangiogenesis (n, %)8 (12.7)
Loss of capillaries (n, %)28 (44.44)

Comparisons of patients between capillaroscopic pattern groups

Early Pattern N=21 (A)Active Pattern N=32 (B)Late Pattern N=10 (C)A vs B A vs C B vs Cp value
Female (%)19 (90.48)31 (96.88)10 (100)
  • ns

  • ns

  • ns

0.4250
Age (mean, min–max)44 (31–55)51 (42–61)54 (47–60)
  • ***

  • ***

  • ns

<0.0001
Disease duration, months (mean, min–max)16.43 (8–21)47.59 (22–74)78.10 (29–141)
  • ****

  • ****

  • ***

<0.0001
Digital ulcers (n, %)0 (0)5 (15.63)8 (80)
  • ns

  • ***

  • *

0.0006
mRSS (mean, min–max)2.36 (0–6)10.40 (5–14)18.00 (14–25)
  • ****

  • ****

  • ****

<0.0001
Diffuse cutaneous SSc (n, %)1 (4.76)11 (34.38)7 (70)
  • ****

  • ns

  • ns

<0.0001
Limited cutaneous SSc (n, %)13 (61.9)18 (56.25)5 (50)
  • ns

  • ns

  • ns

0.8160
Interstitial lung disease (n, %)8 (38.10)21 (65.63)9 (90)
  • ns

  • *

  • ns

0.0161
Pulmonary hypertension (n, %)1 (4.76)12 (37.5)7 (70)
  • *

  • ***

  • ns

0.0009
Fatigue, VAS (median, min–max)4.00 (0–7)6.00 (2–9)6.50 (3–8)
  • **

  • **

  • ns

0.0006
Pain, VAS (mean, min–max)5.00 (0–8)2.78 (0–6)2.50 (0–6)
  • **

  • *

  • ns

0.0011
PGA, VAS (mean, min–max)4.71 (2.9–6.2)5.52 (1.3–7.5)4.20 (2.3–7.1)
  • ns

  • ns

  • *

0.0207
HAQ (mean, min–max)0.30 (0–0.7)0.48 (0.1–1)0.62 (0.1–1)
  • *

  • **

  • ns

0.0007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjim-2024-0030 | Journal eISSN: 2501-062X | Journal ISSN: 1220-4749
Language: English
Page range: 39 - 48
Submitted on: Jun 21, 2024
Published on: Mar 31, 2025
Published by: N.G. Lupu Internal Medicine Foundation
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2025 Camelia Palici, Ananu Florentin Vreju, Cristina Elena Biţă, Ștefan Cristian Dinescu, Alesandra Florescu, Anca Emanuela Muşetescu, Andreea Lili Barbulescu, Paulina Lucia Ciurea, published by N.G. Lupu Internal Medicine Foundation
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.