Increased gingival blood vessel density in SLE patients

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a serious multisystem disease with a variety of cutaneous and oral manifestations. It is an autoimmune disorder whereby patients develop autoantibodies to many of their cells, cell components, and tissue. The microvascular changes in SLE play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the gingival microcirculation in SLE patients. Method and Materials: Fifteen SLE patients and 15 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. Gingival microcirculation was investigated using videocapillaroscopy, a noninvasive technique that permits the in vivo evaluation of microvascular patterns. Results: Significant differences between patients and controls for the capillary density were seen. An increase of mean capillary density was observed in SLE patients (105.5 ± 3.41) (P .05). Conclusion: This study showed significant modifications of gingival microcirculation in SLE patients. Keywords: capillaroscopy, gingival disease, microcirculation, systemic lupus erythematosus