Key result
Normotensive SLE patients show vascular aging and subclinical atherosclerosis comparable to essential hypertension.
Why the study?
Connective tissue diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus are associated with early and accelerated atherosclerosis, but the impact on early vascular aging in normotensive patients was unclear.
Does systemic lupus erythematosus cause early vascular aging comparable to essential hypertension in normotensive patients?
Observational (n=120)
Does systemic lupus erythematosus cause early vascular aging comparable to essential hypertension in normotensive patients?
p-value: p=0.31 and 0.47
Normotensive patients with SLE exhibit early vascular aging and subclinical atherosclerosis comparable to patients with essential hypertension.
Normotensive SLE patients warrant vascular monitoring akin to hypertensives; supports SLE-driven subclinical atherosclerosis but leaves causality open.
Connective tissue diseases, like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are associated with early and accelerated atherosclerosis. Recently, the concept of "early vascular aging" (EVA) has been more widely accepted. Aortic stiffness is one of the important markers of EVA. We evaluated EVA and subclinical atherosclerosis, by measuring aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), in 50 normotensive patients with SLE (mean age: 39 ± 12 years). We compared these participants with 50 age- and sex-matched patients with essential hypertension (EH) and 20 healthy controls. Each participant underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), aPWV, and cIMT measurements. Clinic and 24-hour ABPM values were significantly lower in patients with SLE and controls when compared with the participants having EH (all P < .0001), but aPWV and cIMT were significantly lower in the control group when compared with patients having SLE and EH (all P < .001). Overall, patients with SLE and EH had similar cIMT and aPWV values (P = .31 and P = .47, respectively). Our results suggest that SLE has a similar deleterious impact on EVA as EH.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Morreale et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Systemic lupus erythematosus (n=120). Systemic lupus erythematosus vs. Essential hypertension and healthy controls was evaluated on Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) (p=0.31 and 0.47). Normotensive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had similar carotid intima-media thickness and aortic pulse wave velocity values as patients with essential hypertension (P=0.31 and P=0.47).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: