Table 1.
Characteristics compared between ARD patients and disease controls. * p ≤ 0.05.
| Variable | ARD Patients | Disease Controls | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Patients | 57 | 30 | N/A |
| Demographics | 0.68 | ||
| Age | 46.9 (13.1) | 48.2 (14.9) | <0.001 * |
| Female Sex | 40 (70%) | 7 (23%) | |
| Type of ARD | |||
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus | 14 (25%) | N/A | N/A |
| Systemic Sclerosis | 10 (18%) | ||
| Sarcoidosis | 5 (9%) | ||
| Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis | 5 (9%) | ||
| Ankylosing Spondylitis | 5 (9%) | ||
| Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis | 4 (7%) | ||
| Rheumatoid Arthritis | 4 (7%) | ||
| Takayasu Arteritis | 3 (5%) | ||
| Adamantiades-Behcet Disease | 3 (5%) | ||
| Antiphospholipid Syndrome | 1 (2%) | ||
| Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | 1 (2%) | ||
| Dermatomyositis | 1 (2%) | ||
| Enteropathic Arthritis | 1 (2%) | ||
| Type of Cardiovascular Disease | |||
| Myocarditis | N/A | 5 (17%) | N/A |
| Coronary Artery Disease | 5 (17%) | ||
| Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy | 3 (10%) | ||
| Hypertension | 3 (10%) | ||
| Arrhythmia | 2 (7%) | ||
| Non-compaction Cardiomyopathy | 2 (7%) | ||
| Atrial Septal Defect | 2 (7%) | ||
| Amyloidosis | 1 (3%) | ||
| Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy | 1 (3%) | ||
| Myotonic Dystrophy | 1 (3%) | ||
| Dilated Cardiomyopathy | 1 (3%) | ||
| Peripartum Cardiomyopathy | 1 (3%) | ||
| Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy | 1 (3%) | ||
| Myopericarditis | 1 (3%) | ||
| Myocardial Infarction | 1 (3%) | ||
| Cardiovascular Risk Factors | |||
| Hypertension | 4 (7%) | 2 (7%) | 0.951 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 2 (4%) | 3 (10%) | 0.219 |
| Current Smoker | 2 (4%) | 1 (3%) | 0.966 |
| Atrial Fibrillation | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0.999 |
| Cardiac Functional Indices | |||
| LVEDV (mL) | 134.0 (109.0, 160.0) | 135.5 (105.0, 163.0) | 0.63 |
| LVESV (mL) | 50.0 (37.0, 63.0) | 50.5 (38.0, 66.0) | 0.67 |
| LVEF (%) | 62.0 (60.0, 68.0) | 62.0 (56.0, 69.0) | 0.55 |
| RVEDV (mL) | 122.0 (97.0, 137.0) | 128.0 (110.0, 161.0) | 0.13 |
| RVESV (mL) | 42.0 (35.0, 53.0) | 47.5 (34.0, 64.0) | 0.16 |
| RVEF (%) | 64.0 (60.0, 68.0) | 60.5 (55.0, 65.0) | 0.031 * |
| Tissue Characterization Indices | |||
| T2 Signal Ratio | 2.0 (1.8, 2.3) | 2.0 (1.7, 2.2) | 0.7 |
| EGE (%) | 2.6 (1.6, 3.2) | 2.5 (2.0, 3.0) | 0.89 |
| LGE (%) | 4.0 (0.0, 5.0) | 4.5 (0.0, 6.0) | 0.38 |
| Native T1-Mapping (ms) | 1048.0 (1005.0, 1084.0) | 1034.0 (998.0, 1055.0) | 0.33 |
| Post-contrast T1-Mapping (ms) | 387.0 (348.0, 410.0) | 419.0 (358.0, 435.0) | 0.018 * |
| ECV (%) | 29.0 (28.0, 32.0) | 26.0 (25.0, 28.0) | <0.001 * |
| T2-Mapping (ms) | 55.4 (7.1) | 52.3 (7.7) | 0.071 |
| Local Cut-off Points for CMR Indices | |||
| LGE > 0% | 33 (58%) | 21 (70%) | 0.27 |
| EGE ≥ 4 | 13 (23%) | 4 (13%) | 0.29 |
| T2 Ratio ≥ 2 | 33 (58%) | 18 (60%) | 0.85 |
| T2-Mapping > 55 ms | 25 (44%) | 5 (17%) | 0.011 * |
| Native T1-Mapping > 1050 ms | 25 (44%) | 10 (33%) | 0.34 |
| ECV ≥ 29% | 33 (58%) | 7 (23%) | 0.002 * |
| Post-contrast T1-Mapping < 350 ms | 15 (26%) | 4 (13%) | 0.16 |
| LVEF < 55% | 7 (12%) | 6 (20%) | 0.34 |
| Brain MR Findings | |||
| Brain Involvement (any location) | 52 (91%) | 16 (53%) | <0.001 * |
| Total Number of Brain Areas with Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 5 (9%) | 14 (47%) | <0.001 * |
| 1 | 52 (91%) | 13 (43%) | |
| 2 | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | |
| 3 | 0 (0%) | 2 (7%) | |
| Number of Subcortical White Matter Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 10 (18%) | 16 (53%) | |
| 1 | 30 (53%) | 13 (43%) | 0.001 * |
| 2 | 11 (19%) | 1 (3%) | |
| 3 | 6 (11%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Number of Deep White Matter Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 25 (44%) | 24 (80%) | |
| 1 | 21 (37%) | 4 (13%) | 0.014 * |
| 2 | 10 (18%) | 2 (7%) | |
| 3 | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Number of Periventricular White Matter Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 37 (65%) | 26 (87%) | |
| 1 | 16 (28%) | 4 (13%) | 0.073 |
| 2 | 4 (7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Number of Basal Ganglia Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 54 (95%) | 29 (97%) | |
| 1 | 2 (4%) | 1 (3%) | 0.77 |
| 2 | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Number of Cortical Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 57 (100%) | 29 (97%) | 0.17 |
| 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | |
| Number of Pontine Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 54 (96%) | 30 (100%) | |
| 1 | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0.58 |
| 2 | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Number of Brainstem Lesions: | |||
| 0 | 56 (98%) | 28 (97%) | 0.62 |
| 1 | 1 (2%) | 1 (3%) | |
| Mesial Temporal Sclerosis: | |||
| 0 | 53 (95%) | 28 (97%) | 0.69 |
| 1 | 3 (5%) | 1 (3%) |
ARD autoimmune rheumatic disease; LV-/RV left/right ventricular; EDV/ESV end-diastolic/-systolic volume; EF ejection fraction; EGE/LGE early/late gadolinium enhancement; ECV extracellular volume fraction; CMR cardiovascular magnetic resonance. * p ≤ 0.05.