Cardiovascular target organ damage in premenopausal systemic lupus erythematosus patients and in controls: Are there any differences?

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the presence of cardiac and vascular preclinical damage in premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and controls, matched for demographic characteristics and for other cardiovascular risk factors.
METHODS: 33 women (mean age 32 ± 7 years) with SLE clinically stable (SLEDAI Score 2.5 ± +1.5) and 33 controls, matched (MC) for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), clinic blood pressure (BP) and antihypertensive treatment (if present) underwent: 24-h BP monitoring, echocardiography with tissue Doppler analysis for left ventricular (LV) structure, systolic and diastolic function, echo-tracking carotid ultrasound for intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid distensibility measurement, and pulse wave velocity measurement for aortic stiffness (PWV).
RESULTS: by definition no difference was observed for age, sex, BMI and clinic BP values; Framingham risk score was low in SLE and MC (1.3 ± 2.7 vs 1.5 ± 2.3%, p = ns). 24-h BP was similar in SLE and in MC. Systolic function parameters, including LV longitudinal systolic function, an early index of LV systolic dysfunction, were reduced in SLE as compared to MC. Carotid IMT and carotid and aortic stiffness parameters were not different in SLE and MC. At multivariate regression analysis, PWV was independently associated with LV mass in controls and with the steroid weekly dose in SLE patients.
CONCLUSIONS: in young patients with SLE and low activity index of the disease, we did not observe significant vascular alterations as compared to controls with similar CV risk. The early LV systolic impairment observed in SLE patients needs confirmation.