PULMONARY ARTERY WALL THICKNESS AND SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS: INFLUENCE OF INFLAMMATION ON VASCULAR CHANGES

PAWT is elevated in SSc patients compared to healthy controls. This may be associated with underlying vascular and fibrotic changes in SSc. Furthermore, the strong correlation between PAWT and echocardiographic markers of PAH suggests that PAWT could serve as a predictive marker for future PAH. In addition, the strong correlation between increased PAWT and mRSS suggests that elevated PAWT may represent a vascular component of SSc. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the clinical significance of PAWT in SSc and to define its potential role in disease management.