Increased gingival blood vessel density in SLE patients

• Autores: G.A. Scardina, P. Messina
• Localización: Quintessence International, ISSN-e 0033-6572, Vol. 43, Nº. 6, 2012, págs. 511-515
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a serious multisystem disease with a variety of cutaneous and oral manifestations. It is an autoimmune disorder whereby patients develop autoantibodies to many of their cells, cell components, and tissue. The microvascular changes in SLE play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the gingival microcirculation in SLE patients.

    Method and Materials: Fifteen SLE patients and 15 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. Gingival microcirculation was investigated using videocapillaroscopy, a noninvasive technique that permits the in vivo evaluation of microvascular patterns.

    Results: Significant differences between patients and controls for the capillary density were seen. An increase of mean capillary density was observed in SLE patients (105.5 ± 3.41) (P < .05).

    Conclusion: This study showed significant modifications of gingival microcirculation in SLE patients.