Abstract:
AIM To investigate the expression and possible clinical significance of serum cystatin C in patients with cardiac involvement in scleroderma.
METHODS One hundred and three scleroderma patients who visited Tangdu Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, from January 2018 to March 2024 were selected and divided into an involved group (44 cases) and an uninvolved group (59 cases) according to the presence of cardiac involvement. The patients’ clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and the clinical characteristics and laboratory indexes of the two groups were compared. Multifactorial logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for cardiac involvement and the predictive value of serum cystatin C for cardiac involvement in patients with scleroderma was assessed using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve.
RESULTS The incidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with heart involvement was higher than that in patients without heart involvement, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01); The levels of Cys-c 1.6 (1.2, 1.9) vs. 1.0 (0.9, 1.2), P<0.01 and ESR 24 (18, 34) vs. 18 (12, 30), P<0.05 were higher in the heart affected group than in the heart unaffected group. The levels of hemoglobin (HGB) (113 ± 18) vs. (125 ± 15), P<0.01 and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) 0.9 (0.8, 1.1) vs. 1.1 (1.0, 1.3), P<0.01 were lower in the heart unaffected group, and the differences were statistically significant. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that pulmonary arterial hypertension and serum cystatin C were independent risk factors for cardiac involvement in patients with scleroderma (P<0.05), while high-density lipoprotein was an independent protective factor for cardiac involvement (P<0.05). The area under the curve for predicting cardiac involvement in patients with scleroderma using serum cystatin C is 0.820 (95% CI: 0.738, 0.902). When the critical value of serum cystatin C is set at 1.065 mg/L, its diagnostic value is highest, with a sensitivity of 86.4% and a specificity of 62.7%.
CONCLUSION Serum cystatin C is an independent risk factor for cardiac involvement in patients with scleroderma and serum cystatin C can well predict the cardiac involvement in patients with scleroderma.