Session: (1046–1070) Systemic Sclerosis and Related Disorders – Clinical Poster I
1048: Nailfold Capillaroscopy and Candidate Biomarker Levels in Systemic Sclerosis-associated Pulmonary Hypertension, Profiling of Non-invasive Markers: A Cross Sectional Study
Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands
Jacqueline Lemmers1, Arjan van Caam2, Brigit Kersten2, Els Ende, van den2, Hanneke KNAAPEN2, Arie Dijk, van2, Wanda Hagmolen of ten Have2, Frank van den Hoogen2, Hans Koenen2, Sander van Leuven3, wynand Alkema4, Ruben Smeets2 and Madelon Vonk5, 1Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 2Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 3Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 4Hanze University, Groningen the Netherlands, Dept. Data Science for Life Sciences & Health, Groningen, Netherlands, 5Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Background/Purpose: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is one of the leading causes of death in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Early detection and treatment of PH in SSc is crucial. Nailfold capillaroscopy microscopy (NCM), vascular auto-antibodies AT1R and ETAR and several candidate-biomarkers have potential to serve as non-invasive tools to identify SSc patients at risk for developing PH. Here we explore the classifying potential of NCM characteristics and serum levels of selected candidate-biomarkers in a sample of SSc patients with and without different forms of PH.
Methods: 81 consecutive SSc patients were included; 40 with associated PH (SSc-PH) and 41 without PH (SSc-noPH). In each group quantitative and qualitative NCM characteristics, vascular auto-antibodies AT1R and ETAR and serum levels of 24 soluble serum factors were determined. For evaluation of NCM characteristics linear regression analysis accounting for age, sex and DLCO % predicted was used. Auto-antibodies and soluble serum factor levels were compared by two-sample t test with equal variances.
Results: No statistical significant differences were observed in quantitative or qualitative NCM characteristics, or vascular auto-antibody ETAR and AT1R titer between SSc-PH and SSc-noPH. In contrast, several serum levels of soluble factors differed between groups; Endostatin, sVCAM, VEGFD were increased, and CXCL4, sVEGFR2 and PDGF-AB/BB were decreased in SSc-PH. Random forest classification identified Endostatin and CXCL4 as most predictive classifiers to distinguish SSc-PH from SSc-noPH.
Conclusion: This study shows potential for several soluble serum factors to distinguish SSc-PH from SSc-noPH. We found no classifying potential for qualitative or quantitative NCM characteristics, or vascular autoantibodies.
Disclosures: J. Lemmers, None; A. van Caam, None; B. Kersten, None; E. Ende, van den, None; H. KNAAPEN, None; A. Dijk, van, Jannsen Pharmaceutical, Bayer; W. Hagmolen of ten Have, None; F. van den Hoogen, None; H. Koenen, None; S. van Leuven, None; w. Alkema, None; R. Smeets, None; M. Vonk, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ferrer, Galapagos, Janssen, Merck/MSD, Corbus, EUSTAR.
