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Absence of association between nailfold capillary findings and mild cognitive dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus

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Abstract

Objective

The role of vascular damage in cognitive dysfunction (CD) in SLE is not entirely understood. Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a noninvasive method that may aid the description of further vascular contributions to CD in SLE. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine and compare finger nailfold capillary morphology in subjects with SLE with and without CD.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients with SLE. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics were collected. We evaluated nailfold capillary findings including avascular zones, hemorrhage, dilated and tortuous capillaries, disarrangement, crossing, subpapillary venular plexus, branched loops, and shortened loops by NFC. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale was used to screen cognitive function. CD was defined as a score < 26/30.

Results

Sixty-five females (97.0%) and 2 males (3%) with SLE were analyzed. Means of age and disease duration were 44.3 ± 12.0 years and 15.5 ± 7.6 years, respectively. Thirty-five (54.7%) patients had CD. The rate of patients with ≥ 1 NFC abnormality was 50% in both patients with and without CD (P = 0.14). Eight (22.8%) patients with CD compared to 1 without (3.5%) displayed dilated capillaries (P = 0.036). Other NFC abnormalities differed between patients with and without CD, but the possible relationships between dilated capillaries and CD disappeared after adjusting by age, diabetes, and hypertension.

Conclusions

NFC findings were not associated with mild CD in patients with SLE. Our exploratory data do not support systemic microvasculopathy measured by NFC related to CD in patients with SLE.

Key Points

• In our exploratory study evaluating SLE patients, NFC changes did not differ between patients with and without mild CD.

• Our results do not support NFC as a potential marker of mild cognitive dysfunction in patients with SLE.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all patients who participated in this study for their patience and understanding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology, Medicine School, Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

    Pamela Munguía-Realpozo, Mario García-Carrasco, Claudia Mendoza-Pinto, María de Lourdes Galaviz-Silva & Ivet Etchegaray-Morales

  2. Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Research Unit, Specialties Hospital UMAE-CIBIOR, Mexican Social Security Institute, 2 Norte 2004, 72000, Puebla, Mexico

    Claudia Mendoza-Pinto

  3. Coordination of Health Research, Mexican Social Security Institute, Puebla, Mexico

    Socorro Méndez-Martínez

  4. Direction of Education and Health Research, Specialties Hospital UMAE, Mexican Social Security Institute, Puebla, Mexico

    Álvaro José Montiel-Jarquín

  5. Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, Medicine School, Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

    Luis G. Vázquez de Lara

  6. Department of Rheumatology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, Mexico

    Luis H. Silveira

Authors
  1. Pamela Munguía-Realpozo
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Correspondence to Claudia Mendoza-Pinto.

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Munguía-Realpozo, P., García-Carrasco, M., Mendoza-Pinto, C. et al. Absence of association between nailfold capillary findings and mild cognitive dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Rheumatol 41, 2737–2743 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-022-06215-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-022-06215-x

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