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Cardiac risk factor awareness and management in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Karen H Costenbader1, Elizabeth Wright, Matthew H Liang

  • 1Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. KCostenbader@Partners.org

Arthritis and Rheumatism
|December 14, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Awareness and management of cardiac risk factors (CRFs) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and physicians are insufficient. Many CRFs are under-recognized and undertreated, despite their significance in SLE patients.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significantly increases cardiovascular risk.
  • Traditional cardiac risk factors (CRFs) are prevalent in SLE patients.
  • Effective management of CRFs is crucial for improving outcomes in SLE.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate patient and physician awareness of CRFs in SLE.
  • To assess the documentation and management of CRFs in SLE patients.
  • To identify discrepancies in CRF assessment between patients and medical records.

Main Methods:

  • A questionnaire was administered to 110 SLE patients regarding CRFs.
  • Medical records were reviewed for the presence and management of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and physical inactivity.
  • Interrater reliability between patients and rheumatologists was assessed for specific CRFs.

Main Results:

  • Over half of SLE patients reported having two or more CRFs.
  • Cholesterol levels were unchecked in 23% of patients; hypercholesterolemia was underreported by patients.
  • Physical inactivity was overreported by patients compared to medical documentation, with low interrater reliability for both hypercholesterolemia and inactivity.

Conclusions:

  • Recognition, documentation, and management of CRFs in SLE patients are inadequate.
  • There are significant gaps in the systematic assessment and treatment of CRFs in this population.
  • Improved strategies are needed to address the high burden of CRFs in SLE.
Abstract

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