{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T17:33:05Z","timestamp":1791999185796,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,16]],"date-time":"2022-08-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1660608000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Gruppo LES Italia Onlus","award":["Aspetti clinici e terapeutici della patologia cardiovascolare in corso di LES (2019)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Aspetti clinici e terapeutici della patologia cardiovascolare in corso di LES (2019)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The aim of this study was to examine whether scar imaging echocardiography with ultrasound multi-pulse scheme (eSCAR) can detect subclinical myocardial involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We consecutively recruited SLE patients and controls matched for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. Participants with cardiac symptoms or a prior history of heart disease were excluded. All participants underwent eSCAR and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) with global longitudinal strain (GLS) assessment. SLE patients were assessed for disease activity and were followed up for 12 months. Myocardial scars by eSCAR were observed in 19% of SLE patients, almost exclusively localized at the inferoseptal myocardial segments, and in none of the controls. GLS was significantly lower in most myocardial segments of SLE patients compared with the controls, especially in the inferoseptal segments. eSCAR-positive SLE patients received a higher cumulative and current dose of prednisone, and had significantly higher levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies (p = 0.037). eSCAR-positive patients were at higher risk of having SLE flares over follow-up (hazard ratio: 4.91; 95% CI 1.43\u201316.83; p = 0.0001). We identified inferoseptal myocardial scars by eSCAR in about one-fifth of SLE patients. Subclinical myocardial involvement was associated with glucocorticoid use and anti-dsDNA antibodies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11164788","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,16]],"date-time":"2022-08-16T23:44:25Z","timestamp":1660693465000},"page":"4788","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Subclinical Myocardial Fibrosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus as Assessed by Pulse-Cancellation Echocardiography: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9355-7673","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Giollo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"},{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7333-427X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Vinco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, 38068 Rovereto, Italy"},{"name":"Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2805-9982","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Cioffi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"},{"name":"Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation, San Pancrazio Hospital, Arco di Trento, 38062 Trento, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0611-5605","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Frizzera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"},{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7679-2372","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Quinternetto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corinna","family":"Bergamini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Dal Porto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Orsolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Margherita","family":"Zen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0548-4983","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Doria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7471-3076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Gatti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6662-0304","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Flavio Luciano","family":"Ribichini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4325-3900","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Targher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9692-2293","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maurizio","family":"Rossini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ombretta","family":"Viapiana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"563","DOI":"10.1093\/rheumatology\/41.5.563","article-title":"Risk factors for developing systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study in southern 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