NAIL CAPILLAROSCOPIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE.

Purpose: The nail fold microvasculature can be examined non-invasively with capillaroscopy. The endothelium plays a crucial role in atherosclerosis pathogenesis and, in certain instances, the occurrence of heart failure. This study was designed to explore microcirculatory alterations by employing nail fold capillaroscopy in individuals with heart failure. Material and Methods: In this observational, prospective study involving individuals with heart failure and controls, nail fold capillaroscopic findings visualized by dermoscopy were evaluated comparatively between the two groups (SPSS version 29.0). Results: A total of 54 participants, consisting of 24 individuals with heart failure and 30 controls without heart failure were included. Nail fold capillaroscopic characteristics significantly more prevalent in the heart failure group compared to the controls included microhemorrhage (70.8% vs. 36.7%), the irregular vessel distribution (20.4% vs. 11.1%), vascular dilatation (45.8% vs. 20%) and vascular tortuosity (58.3% vs. 3.3%) (all p<0.05). No significant relationship was found between any of the capillaroscopic features and gender, presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, thyroid disease, and use of beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors in the last month in heart failure patients (p>0.05). Conclusion: Nail fold capillaroscopy may serve as a useful and easy method to examine systemic microvascular changes in heart failure patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]