Coronary atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus at autopsy.

Using a computed image analyser, coronary arteries from 50 autopsied patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were examined on the three vessels (RCA, LAD, LCX) and compared with those of age-matched controls. The intima of coronary artery was significantly thickened much more in the case of SLE than in the case of age-matched controls. This was statistically significant (p less than 0.01). Hypertension and glomerulonephritis did not but corticosteroid therapy had an influence on the development of intimal thickening ratio of the coronary arteries in SLE patients. The mean intimal thickening ratio of the coronary arteries in the patients with SLE and without corticosteroid therapy was larger than that of patients with corticosteroid therapy (p less than 0.1). It appears possible to conclude that inflammatory change of SLE itself is one of the promoting factors of coronary atherosclerosis.