The Association between Eye Sign and Capillaroscopy Changes in Patients with Scleroderma Spectrum Disease Presenting with Raynaud's Phenomenon, as Compared to the Normal Population.

Abstract

Background: Capillaroscopy is widely recognized for its role in evaluating microcirculation, particularly in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma-spectrum diseases. The eye sign may provide complementary insights into microvascular assessment. This study primarily investigates whether the eye sign can differentiate patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and other connective tissue diseases (CTDs) presenting with Raynaud's from healthy controls. Additionally, we explored correlations between eye sign scores and capillaroscopic changes within patient subgroups.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 117 individuals, divided into three groups: healthy controls (N=31), systemic sclerosis (SSc) (N=49), and other connective tissue diseases (CTDs) presenting with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) (N=37). Clinical data, including lung involvement, pulmonary artery hypertension, and skin score, as well as laboratory results, capillaroscopy findings, and eye sign (assessed by naked-eye criteria), were collected from all participants. The primary analysis compared ocular symptom scores between patients and healthy controls. Subgroup analyses and correlation assessments were exploratory.

Results: Eye sign scores did not significantly differ between the combined patient group and healthy controls (P = 0.158). Subgroup comparisons also revealed no significant differences (P = 0.297 for SSc, P = 0.262 for other CTDs). Furthermore, no significant associations were observed between eye sign scores and capillaroscopy findings within the study groups. Additionally, no significant associations were found between eye sign scores and specific clinical manifestations. Confidence intervals were provided to reflect statistical uncertainty.

Conclusion: This study found no statistically significant differences in Eye sign scores between patients and healthy controls, nor any associations with capillaroscopic abnormalities. However, due to the limited sample size and the exploratory nature of the subgroup analyses, these findings should be interpreted with caution.