Peripheral blood perfusion in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and in primary Raynaud’s phenomenon

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to evaluate blood perfusion (BP) in various cutaneous regions of the hands and face in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary Raynaud’s phenomenon (PRP) and healthy subjects (HS). Methods: A total of 20 patients with SLE, 20 patients with PRP, and 20 HS were enrolled. BP was detected by laser speckle contrast analysis in different regions of the hand and at the facial level. The absolute nailfold capillary number (CN) was assessed by nailfold videocapillaroscopy. Results: Patients with SLE and PRP had significantly lower BP levels than those of HS in 3 hand areas (fingertip, palm, and periungual; p