Impaired arterial stiffness in systemic lupus ertythematosus - correlations with inflammation markers

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory disease caused by autoimmune dysregulation, which mainly affects young women, usually free from atherosclerosis. Accelerated atherosclerosis is a well established complication of SLE and it cannot be explained by Framingham risk factors alone, and has been attributed to complex interactions between traditional risk factors and factors associated with the disease per se, or its treatment. Arterial stiffness and endothelium function may serve as a valuable measure to be counted in the follow-up of these patients prior to a potential cardiovascular event. The aim of the study was to evaluate atherosclerosis, inflammatory process, immune mediated, using imaging techniques and to identify the role of molecules known to be involved in inflammation, hsCRP, homocysteine, IL-6, ESR and fibrinogen, in the development and perpetuation of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods Our prospective study included 53 patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and fulfilled the revised ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria for the classification of SLE. Exclusion criteria were