Table 3.
Populations’ characteristics at follow-up (last available visit).
| Demographical and clinical feature at follow-up | PBC–SSc patients (n = 115) | SSc patients (n = 161) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow-up duration in years (mean ± SD) | 10.5 ± 7.5 | 10.4 ± 6.4 | 0.863 |
| Fibrosis at HRCT, n (%) | 22 (22.7) | 44 (29.5) | 0.236 |
| FVC <80%, n (%) | 10 (10.6) | 18 (12.2) | 0.7042 |
| FVC% (mean ± SD) | 103.3 ± 20.8 | 102.6 ± 21.2 | 0.8024 |
| DLCO <80%, n (%) | 69 (74.2) | 106 (72.6) | 0.7866 |
| DLCO% (mean ± SD) | 67.4 ± 20.4 | 68.6 ± 20.3 | 0.6358 |
| DLCO/VA <80%, n (%) | 50 (65.0) | 82 (64.1) | 0.8995 |
| DLCO/VA (mean ± SD) | 73.2 ± 17.8 | 74.1 ± 18.5 | 0.7233 |
| sPAP >45 mm Hg, n (%) | 13 (14.1) | 13 (9.0) | 0.2082 |
| sPAP (mm Hg) (mean ± SD) | 33.0 ± 13.8 | 31.7 ± 13.7 | 0.4811 |
| EF <40%, n (%) | 4 (4.1) | 6 (4.0) | 1 |
| PAH, n (%) | 8 (8.0) | 18 (11.7) | 0.3434 |
| Portal hypertension, n (%) | 11 (11.3) | – | – |
| Presence of arrhythmia, n (%) | 8 (8.0) | 6 (3.9) | 0.1576 |
| Presence of conduction block, n (%) | 5 (5.0) | 20 (12.9) | 0.0383 |
| DUs, n (%): | |||
| Past from the first visit | 17 (15.6) | 48 (30.1) | 0.0052 |
| Current | 1 (0.1) | 5 (3.2) | 0.4058 |
| Current and past from the last visit | 6 (5.5) | 13 (8.3) | 0.3873 |
| Never or not new | 78 (77.2) | 91 (58.0) | 0.0015 |
| Gangrene, n (%) | |||
| Past from the first visit | 2 (1.8) | 6 (3.8) | 0.4776 |
| Current | 1 (0.9) | 0 | 0.4098 |
| Current and past from the last visit | 1 (0.9) | 1 (0.6) | 1 |
| Never or not new | 98 (97.0) | 150 (95.5) | 0.7445 |
| Presence of GERD, n (%) | 55 (56.1) | 92 (62.6) | 0.3118 |
| Malabsorption, n (%) | 6 (6.3) | 10 (6.8) | 0.8759 |
| Anorectal incontinence, n (%) | 7 (7.3%) | 8 (5.4) | 0.549 |
| Laboratory findings: | |||
| Alanine transaminase U/L (mean ± SD) | 29.7 ± 22.3 | 21.8 ± 11.1 | <0.0001 |
| Alanine transaminase >45 U/L, n (%) | 9 (9.1) | 3 (2.3) | 0.0339 |
| Aspartate transaminase U/L (mean ± SD) | 30.0 ± 16.9 | 23.8 ± 7.9 | 0.0002 |
| Aspartate transaminase >45 U/L, n (%) | 5 (5.0) | 3 (2.0) | 0.2714 |
| Alkaline phosphatase U/L (mean ± SD) | 150.3 ± 137.7 | 77.1 ± 57.2 | <0.0001 |
| Alkaline phosphatase >150 U/L, n (%) | 24 (27.0) | 4 (3.4) | <0.0001 |
| γGT U/L (mean ± SD) | 97.8 ± 110.7 | 37.8 ± 42.0 | <0.0001 |
| γGT >50 U/L, n (%) | 52 (55.3) | 17 (15.5) | <0.0001 |
PBC: primary biliary cholangitis; SSc: systemic sclerosis; SD: standard deviation; HRCT: high-resolution computed tomography; FVC: forced vital capacity; DLCO: diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; DLCO/VA: diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide/alveolar volume; sPAP: systolic pulmonary artery pressure; EF: ejection fraction; PAH: pulmonary arterial hypertension; DUs: digital ulcers; GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease; γGT: gamma-glutamyl transferase.
Bold values: values with statistical significance.