Ulnar artery vasculopathy: a common but nonspecific feature of systemic sclerosis

IntroductionSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by microvascular abnormalities and fibrosis. Several studies have reported that large vessel disease is also common in SSc. The aim of this case series was to investigate whether ulnar artery involvement in patients with SSc is a disease-specific phenomenon, as compared to other connective tissue diseases (CTD).

MethodsA total of 28 patients, including 7 with SSc and 12 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), underwent brachial arteriography due to severe Raynaud’s phenomenon and/or digital ulcerations and were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups: an SSc/SSc-overlap group and a non-SSc group. The collection of the clinical parameters was conducted to investigate the associations between clinical factors and the ulnar artery vasculopathy.

ResultsThe SSc/SSc-overlap group (n = 10) consisted of 7 patients with SSc and 3 with features overlapping SSc. In the non-SSc group (n = 18), 12 cases of SLE, 2 of mixed connective tissue disease, 1 of dermatomyositis + SLE, 1 of rheumatoid arthritis, 1 of Sjogren’s syndrome, and 1 case of skin vasculitis, were included. The relative frequencies of ulnar artery involvement were not significantly different between the SSc/SSc-overlap and non-SSc groups, respectively (n = 6, 60% vs. n = 9, 50%, p = 0.611).

ConclusionsAlthough ulnar artery involvement was frequently detected in patients with SSc/SSc-overlap, it was also a common finding in other CTDs; therefore, it is not specific to SSc or SSc-overlap diseases.