ABNORMAL NAILFOLD VIDEOCAPILLAROSCOPY IN PATIENTS WITH ANTISYNTHETASE SYNDROME: CASE REPORTS AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

Classified as a distinct subset of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, anti-synthetase syndrome is an orphan autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibodies associated with a spectrum of clinical features including interstitial lung disease, myositis or dermatomyositis, chronic polyarthritis, fever, mechanic‘s hands and Raynaud‘s phenomenon. The main objective of our study was to evaluate nailfold capillary abnormalities in a series of cases diagnosed with anti-synthetase syndrome, aiming to describe capillaroscopy findings and to identify potential relation with clinical and functional outcomes. Irrespective of clinical and serological disease subtype, significant capillaroscopic changes may help diagnosis and identify negative prognostic factors, advancing the role of routine capillaroscopy in the decisional algorithm of anti-synthetase syndrome. Nailfold videocapillaroscopy is able to provide valuable information in patients with anti-tRNA synthetase myositis, suggesting that diffuse microangiopathy represents an early pathobiologic event.

Keywords

• antisynthetase syndrome
• nailfold videocapillaroscopy