Systemic lupus erythematosus is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease: a nationwide, population-based study in Korea

Lupus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 2050-2056 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Y Lim ◽  
E H Bae ◽  
K-D Han ◽  
J-H Jung ◽  
H S Choi ◽  
...  

Objective To investigate the incidence and clinical significance of cardiovascular disease in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Methods We included systemic lupus erythematosus patients ( n = 18,575) without previous cardiovascular disease and age- and sex-matched individuals without systemic lupus erythematosus (controls; n = 92,875) from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database (2008–2014). Both cohorts were followed up for incident cardiovascular disease and death until 2015. Results During follow up, myocardial infarction occurred in 203 systemic lupus erythematosus patients and 325 controls (incidence rate: 1.76 and 0.56 per 1000 person-years, respectively), stroke occurred in 289 patients and 403 controls (incidence rate: 2.51 and 0.70 per 1000 person-years, respectively), heart failure occurred in 358 patients and 354 controls (incidence rate 3.11 and 0.61 per 1000 person-years, respectively), and death occurred in 744 patients and 948 controls (incidence rate 6.54 and 1.64 per 1000 person-years, respectively). Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had higher risks for myocardial infarction (hazard ratio: 2.74, 95% confidence interval: 2.28–3.37), stroke (hazard ratio: 3.31, 95% confidence interval: 2.84–3.86), heart failure (hazard ratio: 4.60, 95% confidence interval: 3.96–5.35), and cardiac death (hazard ratio: 3.98, 95% confidence interval: 3.61–4.39). Conclusions Here, systemic lupus erythematosus was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, thus cardiac assessment and management are critical in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Lupus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 1463-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Fasano ◽  
D P Margiotta ◽  
L Navarini ◽  
L Pierro ◽  
I Pantano ◽  
...  

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Low-dose aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statins have been suggested to play a prophylactic role of cardiovascular events. This study is devoted to reviewing the literature on the topic and assessing the effects of these drugs in preventing a first cardiovascular event in a two-centre Italian series. Methods A PubMed search on cardiovascular prevention in systemic lupus erythematosus was performed. Moreover, systemic lupus erythematosus patients admitted to two centres from 2000–2015, who at admission had not experienced any cardiovascular event, were investigated. Aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statin use, and the occurrence of any cardiovascular event, were recorded at each visit. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the role of traditional, disease-related cardiovascular risk factors and of each of the three drugs in the occurrence of new cardiovascular events. Results The literature search produced conflicting results. Two hundred and ninety-one systemic lupus erythematosus patients were included in the study and followed for a median of eight years. During follow-up, 16 cardiovascular events occurred. At multivariate analysis, taking aspirin (hazard ratio: 0.24) and hydroxychloroquine for more than five years (hazard ratio: 0.27) reduced, while antiphospholipid antibody positivity (hazard ratio: 4.32) increased, the risk of a first cardiovascular event. No effect of statins emerged. Conclusion Our study confirms an additive role of aspirin and hydroxychloroquine in the primary prophylaxis of cardiovascular events in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The lack of any detected effect in previous reports may depend on the design of studies and their short follow-up period.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Pujades-Rodriguez ◽  
Ann W Morgan ◽  
Richard M Cubbon ◽  
Jianhua Wu

ABSTRACTBackgroundEvidence for the association between glucocorticoid dose and cardiovascular risk is weak for moderate and low doses. To quantify glucocorticoid dose-dependent cardiovascular risk in people with six immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.Methods and FindingsPopulation-based cohort analysis of medical records from 389 primary care practices contributing data to the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, linked to hospital admissions and deaths in 1998-2017. There were 87,794 patients with giant cell arteritis and/or polymyalgia rheumatica (n=25,581), inflammatory bowel disease (n=27,739), rheumatoid arthritis (n=25,324), systemic lupus erythematosus (n=3951), and/or vasculitis (n=5199); and no prior cardiovascular disease (CVD). Mean age was 56 years and 34.1% were men. Median follow-up time was 5.0 years. Time-variant daily and cumulative glucocorticoid prednisolone-equivalent dose-related risks and hazard ratios of first all-cause and type-specific CVD.We found 13,426 (15.3%) people with incident CVD, including 6,013 atrial fibrillation, 7,727 heart failure and 2,809 acute myocardial infarction events. At 1 and 5 years, the cumulative risks of all-cause CVD increased from 1.5% in periods of non-use to 9.1% for a daily prednisolone-equivalent dose of ≥25.0mg, and from 7.6% to 29.9%, respectively. We found strong dose-dependent estimates for all immune-mediated diseases (hazard ratio [HR] for <5.0mg daily dose vs. non-use=1.74, 95%CI 1.64-1.84; range 1.52 for polymyalgia rheumatica and/or giant cell arteritis to 2.82 for systemic lupus erythematosus), all cardiovascular outcomes, regardless of disease activity level. The highest estimates were for heart failure and acute myocardial infarction.ConclusionsWe estimated glucocorticoid dose-dependent cardiovascular risk in six immune-mediated diseases. Results highlight the importance of prompt and regular monitoring of cardiovascular risk and use of primary prevention treatment at all glucocorticoid doses.


Lupus ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Mavrogeni ◽  
L Koutsogeorgopoulou ◽  
T Dimitroulas ◽  
G Markousis-Mavrogenis ◽  
G Kolovou

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been documented in >50% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, due to a complex interplay between traditional risk factors and SLE-related factors. Various processes, such as coronary artery disease, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, vasculitis, valvular heart disease, pulmonary hypertension and heart failure, account for CVD complications in SLE. Methods Electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography (echo), nuclear techniques, cardiac computed tomography (CT), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and cardiac catheterization (CCa) can detect CVD in SLE at an early stage. ECG and echo are the cornerstones of CVD evaluation in SLE. The routine use of cardiac CT and nuclear techniques is limited by radiation exposure and use of iodinated contrast agents. Additionally, nuclear techniques are also limited by low spatial resolution that does not allow detection of sub-endocardial and sub-epicardial lesions. CCa gives definitive information about coronary artery anatomy and pulmonary artery pressure and offers the possibility of interventional therapy. However, it carries the risk of invasive instrumentation. Recently, CMR was proved of great value in the evaluation of cardiac function and the detection of myocardial inflammation, stress-rest perfusion defects and fibrosis. Results An algorithm for CVD evaluation in SLE includes clinical, laboratory, ECG and echo assessment as well as CMR evaluation in patients with inconclusive findings, persistent cardiac symptoms despite normal standard evaluation, new onset of life-threatening arrhythmia/heart failure and/or as a tool to select SLE patients for CCa. Conclusions A non-invasive approach including clinical, laboratory and imaging evaluation is key for early CVD detection in SLE.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 1759720X2110585
Author(s):  
Chin-Fang Su ◽  
Chien-Chih Lai ◽  
Tzu-Hao Li ◽  
Yu-Fan Chang ◽  
Yi-Tsung Lin ◽  
...  

Introduction: Infections are a leading cause of mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Among various infections, invasive fungal infections (IFIs) have a particularly high mortality rate; however, studies examining IFIs in patients with SLE are limited. Methods: Patients diagnosed as having SLE between 1997 and 2012 were enrolled from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database along with age- and sex-matched non-SLE controls at a ratio of 1:10. IFIs were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes and validated by the prescriptions of systemic antifungal agents. The incidence rate (IR), incidence rate ratio (IRR), and all-cause mortality rate of IFIs and its subtypes were analyzed. A Cox multivariate regression model with time-dependent covariates was applied to analyze independent risk factors for IFIs. Results: A total of 24,541 patients with SLE and 245,410 non-SLE controls were included. We observed 445 IFI episodes in the SLE cohort, with an all-cause mortality rate of 26.7%. Candida spp. (52.8%) was the most common pathogen, followed by Cryptococcus spp. (18.2%) and Aspergillus spp. (18.2%). The IR of IFIs in the SLE cohort was 20.83 per 10,000 person-years, with an IRR of 11.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.8–12.6] relative to the non-SLE controls. Juvenile patients with SLE aged ⩽18 years had the highest IRR of 47.2 (95% CI: 26.9–86.8). Intravenous steroid therapy administered within 60 days (hazard ratio: 29.11, 95% CI: 23.30–36.37) was the most critical risk factor for overall IFIs and each of the three major fungal pathogens. Distinct risk factors were found among different IFI subtypes. Conclusion: Patients with SLE had a higher risk of IFIs, especially juvenile patients. Intravenous steroid therapy is the most critical risk factor for IFIs. This study provides crucial information for the risk stratification of IFIs in SLE. Plain Language Summaries Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and physicians treating this patient group should be aware of the risk of invasive fungal infections. Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a severe complication with a high mortality rate among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, studies on this topic are scant. We performed a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan to estimate the incidence and mortality of and risk factors for IFIs. We found an incidence rate of 20.83 per 10,000 person-years for IFIs, with a mortality rate of 26.7%. Juvenile patients aged ⩽18 years had the highest relative risk of IFIs. Although candidiasis was the most common IFI, cryptococcosis and aspergillosis should be concerned in juvenile patients as well. Intravenous steroid therapy was the most critical risk factor for all IFIs, and different immunosuppressive agents posed different risks in patients for acquiring certain fungal pathogens. Our findings provide pivotal epidemiological information and indicate risk factors for IFIs in patients with SLE. Age and exposure to specific immunosuppressants and steroids might help predict the risk of IFIs. Because the manifestation of these infections is sometimes indistinguishable from a lupus flare, physicians should be aware of this fatal complication, especially when patients are not responsive to immunosuppressive therapy. Early recognition, implication of diagnostic tools, and empirical antimicrobial agents can be the key to treating patients with IFIs. Additional studies are required to develop a risk management program for patients with SLE.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura P Kimble ◽  
Sandra B Dunbar ◽  
Elizabeth J Corwin ◽  
Rebecca Mitchell ◽  
Ignacio Sanz ◽  
...  

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disproportionately affects minority women of childbearing age and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Understanding concomitant cardiovascular co-morbidities in the SLE population is essential to reduce their excess cardiovascular burden through targeted risk reduction. Purpose: This study examined cardiovascular co-morbidities in persons with SLE admitted to an acute care hospital. Method: We conducted a secondary data analysis of de-identified electronic health record (EHR) data from a random sample of 1,000,000 patients who received care from a healthcare system in the southeastern US between the years of 2012 and 2018. We targeted the specific patient encounter of the first hospitalization in which SLE was included as a discharge diagnosis and examined cardiovascular co-morbidities present in the cohort. Results: We identified 320 patients (89% women n=285/320, 84.4% n=270/320 African-American) with a mean age of 47.1 ± 16.4 years and length of stay (LOS) of 6.7 ± 8.1 days. The majority were hospitalized on an emergent basis (61%, n=195/320) with 44.4% (n=143/320) admitted to hospital medicine/internal medicine specialties. Admission to cardiology/cardiovascular surgery specialties was noted for 7.5% (n=27/320). The majority were discharged to home for self-care (70.9%, n=227/320) or home health services (12.5%, n=40/320). Potential SLE complications were evident with 23.7% (n=76/320) noted to have renal failure. The most common cardiovascular diagnoses documented in the EHR included: hypertension (40%, n=192/320), heart failure (18.4%, n=59/320), coronary artery disease (16.6%, n=50/320), mitral valve disorders (9.7%,n=31/320), atrial fibrillation (8.7%, n=27/320), supraventricular tachycardia (6.6%,n=21/320), acute myocardial infarction (6.2%,n=20/320), cerebral vascular accident (5.9%, n=19/320), endocarditis (4.1%,n=13/320), and peripheral vascular disease (3.7%, n=12/320). Longer LOS was associated with renal failure (r= .25, p = .001), heart failure (r= .20, p = .001), and supraventricular tachycardia (r=.22, p = .001). A greater proportion of men had endocarditis (14.3%, n=5/35), PVD (11.4%,n = 4/35), and CAD (28.6%, n=10/35) compared to women (endocarditis: 2.8%, n=8/285, p =.008; PVD 2.8%, n=8/285, p= .032; CAD 14.0% n=40/285, p=.044). Conclusion: Cardiovascular disease burden was evident in this predominantly young, female, African-American SLE inpatients. Cardiac diagnoses were associated with increased LOS and men with SLE had greater cardiovascular burden related to CAD and PVD compared to women. These findings highlight the importance of cardiovascular risk reduction interventions and aggressive management of cardiovascular comorbidities in the SLE population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Vavlukis ◽  
Daniela Pop-Gjorceva ◽  
Lidija Poposka ◽  
Emilija Sandevska ◽  
Sasko Kedev

Background: Accelerated atherosclerosis is widely present in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Objective: The aim of this review is to analyze the relationship between systemic lupus erythematosus and cardiovascular diseases, with the emphasis on acute myocardial infarction. Results: Various molecular mechanisms triggered by infection/inflammation are responsible for endothelial dysfunction and development of atherosclerosis at an earlier age. Contributing factor is the cumulative effect of traditional cardiovascular risk factors interaction with disease related characteristics. Myocardial infarction rates are 2- to 10-fold higher compared to the general population. Young women have the highest relative risk, however, men carry at least 3- fold higher risk than women. Coronary involvement varies from normal coronary artery with thrombosis, coronary microartery vasculitis, coronary arteritis, and coronary atherosclerosis. Typical clinical presentation is observed in men and older women, while atypical is more frequent in young women. Treatment is guided by the underlying mechanism, engaging invasive procedures alone, or accompanied with immunosuppressive and/or antiinflammatory therapy. There are significant gender differences in pathophysiology and clinical presentation. However, they receive the same therapeutic treatments. Conclusion: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a major contributor to atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic mechanisms involved in the development of myocardial infarction, which should be taken into account during therapeutic treatment. Although Systemic lupus erythematosus per se is a “female” disease, males are at increased cardiovascular risk and worse outcome. Method: We conducted a literature review through PubMed and Cochrane, using key words: SLE, atherosclerosis, atherothrombosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, prognosis, sex specifics.


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