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Atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Sara Croca1, Anisur Rahman1

  • 1Centre for Rheumatology Research, Division of Medicine, University College London, Room 412 Rayne Institute, 5 University Street, London WC1E 6JF, United Kingdom.

Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology
|December 12, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients face higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks due to immune dysfunction, not just traditional factors. New biomarkers and imaging are needed to accurately assess CVD risk in SLE.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  • SLE patients exhibit increased risks for clinical CVD and sub-clinical atherosclerosis.
  • Traditional CVD risk factors do not fully account for the elevated risk in SLE patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of immune dysfunction in CVD development in SLE.
  • To explore the contribution of lipid profile abnormalities and immune responses to atherosclerosis in SLE.
  • To highlight the limitations of current CVD risk algorithms in SLE patients.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent studies on CVD, SLE, and atherosclerosis.
  • Analysis of the impact of immune dysfunction on cardiovascular risk.
  • Evaluation of novel biomarkers and imaging techniques for CVD risk assessment.

Main Results:

  • Immune dysfunction, particularly lipid-related autoantibodies and T-cell responses, contributes to atherosclerosis in SLE.
  • Standard CVD risk algorithms underestimate CVD risk in SLE.
  • Pro-inflammatory high-density lipoprotein and carotid ultrasound show potential as novel risk assessment tools.

Conclusions:

  • CVD risk in SLE is significantly influenced by immune system abnormalities.
  • Novel biomarkers and imaging are crucial for accurate CVD risk stratification in SLE.
  • Further research is needed to integrate these novel approaches into clinical practice.

Keywords:
AtherosclerosisAutoantibodiesCardiovascular diseaseInvariant natural killer T cellsLipidsRisk stratificationSystemic lupus erythematosus

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