Risk factors for development of coronary artery disease in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain coronary artery disease (CAD) outcomes and predictive factors in a prospective study of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and matched healthy controls.

METHODS

SLE patients and non-SLE age-matched controls without a history of CAD were recruited into a prospective study between 1997 and 1999. CAD events were assessed at clinic visit for SLE patients and through telephone interview and chart review for controls. All events were verified with patient medical records.

RESULTS

Followup information was available on 237 controls and 241 SLE patients. The mean followup time was 7.2 years. Univariate analyses identified age and postmenopausal status as predictors of CAD in both the groups. Sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, the presence of metabolic syndrome, and the number of Framingham risk factors were predictive in the control group only. The 10-year risk of CAD score was predictive in both groups but was not as marked in the SLE group as in the controls. None of the lipid subfractions were predictive for CAD in the SLE group, whereas in the controls, a high triglyceride level >or= 2.8 was predictive. Time-to-event multivariate analysis for CAD in all subjects revealed SLE itself, older age, and triglycerides >or= 2.8 to be highly predictive for CAD.

CONCLUSION

In a prospective study of patients with SLE and matched controls followed over a median of 8 years, patients with SLE developed significantly more CAD events than controls. Accounting for demographic variability, CAD risk factors, and lipid factors, SLE is an independent risk factor for the development of CAD.