Evaluation of Nailfold Capillaroscopy as a Novel Tool in the Assessment of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), represent a spectrum of systemic disorders characterized by necrotizing inflammation of small- to medium-sized vessels. Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) is a validated, non-invasive technique routinely employed in the assessment of microvascular involvement in systemic sclerosis and in the differential diagnosis of Raynaud’s phenomenon; its application in the context of AAV, particularly EGPA, has not been investigated yet. The present study aims to assess the presence and the possible pattern of microcirculatory abnormalities detected by NVC in EGPA patients, and to explore potential correlations between capillaroscopic findings and disease activity status. Methods: A total of 29 patients with EGPA (19 women and 10 men), aged between 51 and 73 years, and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were retrospectively enrolled between October 2023 and April 2025, after providing informed consent and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. NVC was conducted in both groups to assess various morphological parameters, and mean capillary density was also calculated. Results: This study observed the presence of capillaroscopic alterations in the EGPA group, including decreased capillary density (38%), neoangiogenesis (72%), rolling (100%), pericapillary stippling (66%), and inverted capillary apex (52%). Overall, when comparing healthy controls with EGPA patients, microcirculatory abnormalities were significantly more prevalent in the latter. Specifically, scores for neoangiogenesis, capillary rolling, pericapillary stippling, and inverted capillary apex showed p-values < 0.001. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a higher prevalence of four nailfold videocapillaroscopic abnormalities in patients with EGPA compared to healthy controls. However, the identification of these capillaroscopic alterations as specific to EGPA requires further confirmation. Ongoing studies aim to explore the potential role of NVC as a diagnostic marker and to investigate its correlation with the clinical manifestations of EGPA.