الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 186 |  |  |
| | | from | 186 | | |
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a progressive autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by production of autoantibodies and activation of the complement system.(1,2) The clinical expression of SLE is the consequence of endothelial cell damage caused by production of autoantibodies and immune complex vasculitis. Vascular endothelial damage leads to serious multiple organ dysfunction.(3) kidney involvement is a common complication associated with a poor long-term prognosis.(4,5) Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a non-invasive imaging technique and the best method for morphological analysis of nutritional capillaries in the nailfold area. It has been used for investigating microvascular abnormalities in rheumatologic diseases, including scleroderma and SLE.(6,7) Although the capillary morphology changes and blood flow abnormality are not specific to SLE, an association has been observed between the NFC abnormalities and disease severity including kidney involvement.(9,10)