CLINICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CARDIOVASCULAR INVOLVEMENT AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH DERMATOMYOSITIS
Vol. 6 No. 9 (2026) 29-31
Abstract
This article analyzes the clinical and functional characteristics of cardiovascular involvement in patients with dermatomyositis (DM), the diagnostic features of subclinical cardiac injury, and the possibilities for its early detection. The study summarizes data from cohort and cross-sectional studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published between 2011 and 2026 in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The diagnostic significance of electrocardiography, 24-hour Holter monitoring, transthoracic echocardiography, global longitudinal strain (GLS) assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, as well as high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and T and NT-proBNP biomarkers was comparatively evaluated. The results demonstrated that cardiac involvement in DM is frequently subclinical and that its detection rate depends on the diagnostic method used. Standard ECG and echocardiography have limited sensitivity for detecting early cardiac injury, whereas GLS and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have higher diagnostic value for identifying latent functional and structural myocardial abnormalities. Cardiac-specific hs-cTnI is particularly important for reducing false-positive results associated with skeletal muscle involvement. Based on the analysis, a stepwise diagnostic algorithm consisting of “biomarker → ECG/Holter → strain echocardiography → cardiac MRI” is proposed as a promising and resource-efficient model for the early detection of cardiac involvement in DM. Clinical validation of this algorithm in the local population is warranted.
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