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Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
Large artery inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus
D G Sokalski1, T R Copsey Spring, W N Roberts
1Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, TN, USA.
Abstract:
A 23-year-old African-American woman with a history of recurrent pneumonias presented to the hospital with 2 weeks of shortness of breath, chest pain, fevers, and lightheadedness. The histologic diagnosis proved to be lupus aortitis. Optimal Framingham risk factor management by itself may not be a completely successful approach in diminishing the extra risk of atherosclerosis conferred by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore it remains possible that important modifiable cardiovascular risk factors may include low-grade SLE disease activity in medium-sized vessels. The implication of the idea that subclinical vessel inflammation is widespread in patients with lupus-and that this inflammation confers a significant part of the patients' risk of accelerated atherosclerosis-might be a lowering of the threshold for aggressive disease-modifying treatment of lupus, essentially a "treat-to-target" approach to systemic lupus.
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