Effectiveness of glyceryl trinitrate patch use in secondary Raynaud's phenomenon

Abstract

Introduction/objective

Secondary Raynaud's phenomenon is one of the primary cutaneous manifestations of various rheumatological diseases, which can significantly impact quality of life and whose systemic treatment can lead to several adverse effects. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of glyceryl trinitrate (in transdermal patch form) in patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon (SRP), evaluated through vascular flow photoplethysmography.

Materials and methods

A comparative, analytical, open-label, non-randomized study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of 4.5 mg of glyceryl trinitrate in a transdermal patch placed on the proximal region of one hand in patients diagnosed with SRP compared to the untreated contralateral hand. To determine the primary outcome, vascular flow photoplethysmography assessment was performed 30 days after daily patch use. Secondary results were obtained using an infrared thermometer to measure local temperature in both hands before patch application, 30 min after patch use, and at the end of the follow-up period. Additionally, various questionnaires, including the Visual Analogue Scale for pain, Raynaud's Condition Score (RCS), and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI), were administered on the first and last days of the study.

Results

Sixteen patients, all female, with a median age of 54 years, were included. Regarding the rheumatological diseases associated with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon, twelve patients (75% of the sample) were associated with systemic sclerosis, three patients (19%) with lupus erythematosus, and one (6%) with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). There was a significant increase in peripheral blood flow after 30 days of treatment with 4.5 mg of glyceryl trinitrate every 24 h, along with improvement in clinical symptom and quality of life questionnaires.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of low-dose glyceryl trinitrate via transdermal patches to improve vascular flows, translating into short-term clinical symptom improvement associated with SRP.