Hypertension and renal impairment in systemic scleroderma

INTRODUCTIONArterial hypertension (AH) with or without renal involvement is one of the rare manifestations of systemic scleroderma (SS). The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, evolutionary and prognostic characteristics of hypertension and renal impairment in SS.PATIENTS AND METHODSThis was a retrospective study of scleroderma patients with hypertension and/or renal involvement who were enrolled in the internal medicine department of CHU Hédi Chaker, Sfax, between 1996 and 2012.RESULTS5 cases (5.8%) of hypertension and/or renal involvement in a series of 85 scleroderma patients were noted during the study period. The average age of the 5 women was 59 years. Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) was rare, occurring in only one patient (1.7%) and characterized by the absence of hypertension. Clinical signs are conditioned by the severity of hypertension. In our study, hypertension was present in 3 cases, was moderate and had the repercussions of incipient renal failure in 2 cases and left ventricular hypertrophy in a single case.

Autorentext

Dr Mouna Snoussi Lecturer in internal medicine and autoimmune pathologies at the Faculty of Medicine, Sfax, Tunisia.