Characteristics of patients with systemic sclerosis with and without abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction included in the nested case-control study
| Left ventricular ejection fraction | p Value | Multivariate analysis (stepwise regression) | |||
| Reduced(n = 129) | Normal(n = 256) | OR (95% CI) | p Value | ||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 59.8 (12.7) | 56.2 (12.8) | 0.008 | 1.03 (1.01 to 1.06) | 0.008 |
| M/F (%) | 33/67 | 12/88 | <0.001 | 3.48 (1.74 to 6.98) | <0.001 |
| Mean (SD) disease duration (months)* | 68.9 (129.7) | 51.3 (68.8) | 0.081 | NS | |
| Diffuse/limited cutaneous subtype (%) | 45/55 | 34/66 | 0.036 | NS | |
| Smoking (past or present) (%) | 21.1 | 11.1 | 0.009 | NS | |
| Systemic hypertension (%) | 34.9 | 27.7 | 0.155 | NS | |
| Mean (SD) BMI (kg/m2) | 23.6 (4.6) | 24.7 (4.4) | 0.031 | NS | |
| Diabetes (%) | 5.5 | 4.3 | 0.615 | NS | |
| Presence of digital ulceration (%) | 61.7 | 50 | 0.038 | 1.91 (1.05 to 3.50) | 0.035 |
| Presence of pulmonary fibrosis (%) | 59.3 | 45.7 | 0.016 | NS | |
| Mean (SD) FVC (% predicted) | 84.5 (23.6) | 94.1 (21.1) | <0.001 | 0.98 (0.96 to 0.99) | 0.001 |
| Mean (SD) Kco (% predicted) | 66.6 (22.2) | 77.4 (20.2) | <0.001 | NS | |
| Mean (SD) echo sPAP (mm Hg) | 38.2 (17.9) | 30.2 (11.7) | <0.001 | NS | |
| Precapillary PAH (%) | 14.7 | 7.6 | 0.041 | NS | |
| Myositis (%) | 12.7 | 5.4 | 0.013 | 2.88 (1.15 to 7.19) | 0.024 |
| Renal crisis (%) | 5 | 2.5 | 0.227 | NS | |
| Positive antitopoisomerase-1 antibodies (%) | 31.2 | 37.8 | 0.206 | NS | |
| Positive anticentromere antibodies (%) | 30.2 | 31.4 | 0.802 | NS | |
| Use of CCB past or present (%) | 51.9 | 68.7 | 0.001 | 0.41 (0.22 to 0.74) | 0.004 |
| CCB for >12 months (%) | 45.7 | 60.2 | 0.009 | NA | |
| Use of low-dose prednisone (⩽10 mg/day) | 43.7 | 34.9 | 0.095 | NS | |
| Use of immunosuppressors (%) | 48.1 | 42.6 | 0.313 | NS | |
| Use of endothelin antagonists (%) | 16.3 | 9.8 | 0.065 | NS | |
*First non-Raynaud symptom.
BMI, body mass index; CCB, calcium channel blocker; FVC, forced vital capacity; Kco, carbon monoxide transfer coefficient; PAH, pulmonary arterial hypertension; sPAP, systolic pulmonary artery pressure.