Is cystatin C an evaluative marker for right heart functions in systemic sclerosis?

Abstract Background/objectives Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a progressive autoimmune disorder with multi-organ involvement. Patients who have SSc are at risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and right heart failure. Impaired right heart hemodynamic function is the most powerful predictor of mortality in these patients. We assessed the interactions between levels of NT-proBNP, cystatin C, and right ventricular functions in SSc patients without significant PAH. Methods Fifty SSc patients without significant PAH (37 women and 13 men, mean age 47.2 ± 10.3), and 44 healthy participants as a control group (29 women and 15 men, mean age 47.9 ± 10.4) were included in the study. Results Cystatin C and NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher in patients with SSc. Both cystatin C and NT-proBNP levels possitively correlate with age, interventricular septum thickness, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, the peak late diastolic filling velocity, tricuspid regurgitation velocity, and negatively correlate with pulmonary artery acceleration time in the patients. Conclusions Our results showed that elevated cystatin-C and NT-proBNP levels may be a clue for diastolic impairment in right ventricular functions in SSc.