Maka Gegenava1, Zviad Kirtava2, William KF Kong3, Tea Gegenava4,5

1Department of Internal Medicine №2, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
2Department of Internal Medicine, Caucasus School of Medicine and Healthcare Management, Caucasus University, Tbilisi, Georgia
3Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore
4Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
5Department of Internal Medicine №1, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia

Keywords: Heart failure, left ventricular global longitudinal strain, systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract

Objectives: Aim of the study was to perform a systemic review and meta-analysis of the current case-control studies based on the assessment of the left ventricular (LV) systolic function with standard and advanced echocardiographic methods.

Materials and methods: Objectives of the study, methods of statisticalanalysis, literature search strategy, inclusion andexclusion criteria, and outcome measurementswere defined according to Cochrane Collaborationsteps, 13 including recommendations for metaanalysisof observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE).

Results: A total of 850 papers were collected. Of those, eight papers (10 groups) including 174,442 SLE patients and 45,608,723 controls with heart failure (HF), 20 papers including 1,121 SLE patients and 1,010 controls with an evaluated LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and eight studies (nine groups) including 462 SLE patients and 356 controls with a measured LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) met the predefined inclusion criteria. HF rate in SLE patients was 2.39% (4,176 of 174,442 patients with HF), and SLE patients showed a 3.4 times higher risk for HF compared to controls. SLE patients had a lower LVEF compared to controls. LVGLS was more impaired in SLE patients compared to controls, irrespective of two-dimensional or three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

Conclusion: Heart failure rate in SLE patients is high, and SLE patients showed a 3.4 times higher risk in patients with SLE compared to controls. LV systolic function, as measured by LVEF and LVGLS, is significantly affected in SLE patients, and LVGLS potentially represents a new tool for the early assessment of LV function.

Citation: Gegenava M, Kirtava Z, Kong WKF, Gegenava T. Left ventricular systolic function assessed by standard and advanced echocardiographic techniques in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Arch Rheumatol 2024;39(1):149- 158. doi: 10.46497/ArchRheumatol.2024.10131.

Author Contributions

Conception and design of the study, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of the manuscript, writing, final approval of the manuscript: M.G.; Conception and design of the study, revision of the manuscript, final approval of the manuscript: Z.K.; Conception and design of the study, revision of the manuscript, final approval of the manuscript: WKFK.; Conception and design of the study, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of the manuscript, final approval of the manuscript: T.G.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.