Choroid Plexus Enlargement In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Relationship With Auto-Antibody Status And Neuropsychiatric Involvement (P10-3.016)

Abstract

<h3>Objective:</h3> To evaluate whether choroid plexus (CP) enlargement occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to healthy controls (HC) and is associated with auto-antibody status, neuropsychiatric involvement (NP-SLE) and structural brain damage. <h3>Background:</h3> CP enlargement has been suggested as a marker of neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis, being associated with disease activity and clinical disability. CP involvement in SLE immunopathology has been recently hypothesized, however, the associations between CP enlargement, auto-antibody status, clinical manifestations and brain structural damage have not been fully explored yet. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Brain 3T dual-echo and 3D T1-weighted sequences were acquired from 32 SLE patients and 32 age- and sex-matched HC. CP volume was manually obtained from 3D T1-weighted scans and normalized by head size. CP volumes were compared between HC and SLE patients stratified according to auto-antibody status (anti-antiphospholipid [APA] and anti-double-stranded DNA [ADNA] antibodies) and NP involvement using linear models. Associations between CP volume and clinical and structural MRI variables were explored using linear regression analyses. <h3>Results:</h3> Compared to HC, only SLE patients with positive autoantibody status (APA [n=18] or ADNA [n=24) showed significantly higher white matter (WM) lesion volume (LV) (p=0.020 and 0.033), whereas only SLE patients with APA antibodies had a significant CP enlargement (p=0.013). Compared to HC, both non-NP-SLE (n=20) and NP-SLE patients (n=12) showed significantly higher CP volume (p=0.002 and &lt;0.001), whereas WM LV was significantly higher only in NP-SLE (p=0.001). Compared to non-NP-SLE, NPSLE patients had significantly higher CP volume (p=0.024) and WM LV (p=0.015). No between-group volumetric brain differences were found. No significant associations of CP volume with disease duration and activity, WM LV and normalized brain volume were found. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> CP enlargement occurs in SLE patients, especially in those with APA and NP involvement, suggesting its potential role in the pathophysiology of SLE related brain involvement. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Gueye has nothing to disclose. Mr. Preziosa has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Bristol Myers Squibb . Mr. Preziosa has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Sanofi Genzyme. Mr. Preziosa has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Novartis. Mr. Preziosa has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Roche. Mr. Preziosa has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Merck. Giuseppe A. Ramirez has nothing to disclose. Enrica Bozzolo has nothing to disclose. Valentina Canti has nothing to disclose. Monica Margoni has received research support from MAGNIMS. Alessandro Meani has nothing to disclose. Patrizia Rovere-Querini has nothing to disclose. Angelo Manfredi has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Clinical &amp; Experimental Immunology. Maria Assunta Rocca has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Bayer, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Roche, and Teva. The institution of Maria Assunta Rocca has received research support from Italian Ministry of Health, MS Society of Canada and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Bayer, Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Takeda, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Bayer, Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi Genzyme, Takeda, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Springer Nature. The institution of Dr. Filippi has received research support from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Roche, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Italian Ministry of Health, Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, and ARiSLA (Fondazione Italiana di Ricerca per la SLA).