Study of early atherosclerosis in juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients

The aim of this study was to investigate early atherosclerotic changes in juvenileonset systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) patients and its relation with disease activity. Thirty patients suffering from jSLE diagnosed according to the 2012 SLICC SLE criteria were included in the study. Clinical and laboratory parameters, disease activity, and traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis were assessed. B-mode ultrasound was performed to measure carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) and the number and size of plaque deposits in both the left and the right common carotid arteries. A total of 20 healthy volunteers were taken as a control group. The mean±SD age of the patients was 18.93±2.81. The mean±SD disease duration was 4.33±2.25. The mean±SD CIMT differed significantly between the patient and control ( n =20) groups (0.74±0.21 vs. 0.38±0.05; P <0.001). The presence of lymphopenia, serum creatinine, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein was positively associated with the progression of CIMT ( P =0.049, P =0.02, P ≤0.001, P ≤0.001, and P =0.006, respectively). In patients with jSLE, some traditional and nontraditional risk factors such as increased low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, total cholesterol, BMI, fasting blood sugar, and proteinuria for the development of subclinical atherosclerosis were identified. It is likely that good disease control is the optimum way to prevent premature atherosclerosis in jSLE.