Myocardial lesions of progressive systemic sclerosis. A cause of cardiac dysfunction.

Abstract

The nature, prevalence, functional significance, and indeed existence of myocardial disease in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) has been debated. In this study the clinical and pathological features of 52 autopsied patients were analyzed in an attempt to resolve these questions. A distinctive focal myocardial lesion ranging from contraction band necrosis to replacement fibrosis throughout both ventricular walls was present in 23 patients who had widely patent extramural coronary arteries. There were no morphologic abnormalities of the intramyocardial coronary arteries to account for these lesions. Comparing those patients having severe (13), mild (10), or no (24) PSS myocardial lesions, and patent extramural coronary arteries, there were no major differences in age, sex, frequency and severity of pulmonary, renal or hypertensive disease which could account for the myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. The three groups did differ, however, with regard to clinical cardiac abnormalities: ventricular arrhythmias and conduction disturbances were six and two times as frequent, respectively, in those with severe myocardial PSS compared to the other two groups. A pattern of primary myocardial disease with intractable congestive heart failure resulted from severe myocardial PSS in four patients, angina pectoris with normal coronary arteries was associated with the severe myocardial lesion in three patients, and sudden death in five. The occurrence of contraction band necrosis suggests that the myocardial damage in PSS might be due to intermittent vascular spasm of the type recognized in the digits and possibly kidneys and lungs, i.e., an intramyocardial Raynaud's phenomenon. The findings in our patients clearly show that myocardial progressive systemic sclerosis is a distinct entity with relatively frequent occurrence which may lead to arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris with normal coronary arteries and sudden death.

Association of myositis and myocarditis in progressive systemic sclerosis

“…Active inflammation, however, is rarely if ever observed in autopsy studies of myocardial lesions in patients with scleroderma (1,2,4). This may be explained by the relative rarity of inflammatory myositis in scleroderma, as well as by the fact that we could find no autopsy report in which the heart was examined during active myositis.…”

Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis

“…Although other possible explanations for perfusion defects would theoretically include intimal prolifera-ANVARI ET AL tion or disseminated intravascular coagulation of the small coronary arteries as described in the literature (16), one cannot rule out the possibility that there may have been epicardial coronary disease. Furthermore, intermittent ischemia due to coronary artery spasm is known to occur in anatomically normal coronary arteries (16,17).…”

Systemic sclerosis is an independent risk factor for increased coronary artery calcium deposition

“…Impaired coronary artery reserve has previously been demonstrated in SSc patients by noninvasive imaging techniques (5)(6)(7). Studies published a few decades ago suggested an underlying microvascular disease of the myocardium, based on normal findings on coronary angiogram (8) and the absence of coronary atherosclerosis upon histologic examination at autopsy (9)(10)(11)(12). However, clinical and subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD) is increasingly reported in SSc patients (13)(14)(15), although the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis and the predisposing factors in SSc patients remain unknown.…”