Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the incidence and extent of cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with no apparent cardiac symptoms.

METHODS

Surface electrocardiography, ambulatory electrocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography, myocardial scintigraphy, and echocardiography were performed in 18 patients.

RESULTS

These studies demonstrated ventricular tachycardia in 1 patient, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in 5, supraventricular tachycardia in 6, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction in 2, decreased right ventricular ejection fraction in 8, and stress-induced reversible myocardial perfusion abnormalities in 6.

CONCLUSION

These observations demonstrate a high rate of cardiac abnormalities in SSc patients without cardiac symptoms.