Prognostic impact of right atrial strain in systemic lupus erythematosus with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess right atrial (RA) function, including RA phase strain, via speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) in a cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and in particular to explore the relationship between RA phase strain and the occurrence of cardiovascular events.

Methods: STE analyses of RA function were evaluated in patients with SLE-PAH and in 33 healthy control subjects. Clinical associations, serum biomarkers, echocardiographic data, survival times, and adverse cardiovascular events were evaluated.