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ABSTRACT: Jaccoud’s arthropathy (JA) was initially described as a secondary complication to rheumatic fever (RF). However, most recently
described cases are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). At least in RF, this articular complication has been
observed to occur in association with valvular heart disease. The aim of this work is to investigate the presence of valvulopathy
in patients with SLE and JA, when compared to lupus patients without such complication. Patients with diagnosis of SLE based
on the American College of Rheumatology criteria were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups: with or without JA
and evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. A total of 113 patients with SLE (25 with JA and 88 without JA) were assessed,
of which 108 were females and five were males. Echocardiographic changes were found in 24 patients (21.2%) out of the entire
population, including valvulopathy in 17 cases (15%), pulmonary hypertension in 7 cases (6.2%) and pericardial effusion in
2 cases (1.8%). In general, echocardiographic changes were more frequently seen in the JA group in comparison with the control
group (p=0.04). Additionally, in the JA group, valvulopathy was found in nine cases (36%) against eight cases (9%) in the control
group (p=0.001). This study reveals for the first time the association between the presence of valvular heart disease and JA in
SLE patients, suggesting that the presence of JA may be a marker of such complication. Additional studies are required for
clarification of the mechanisms involved in both complications.
KeywordsSystemic lupus erythematosus–Rheumatic fever–Jaccoud’s arthropathy–Valvular heart disease
Rheumatology International 04/2012; 31(1):49-52. · 1.88 Impact Factor
