This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Peripheral vascular disease significantly associated with smoking in SLE patients
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
While patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had greater prevalence of peripheral vascular disease compared with controls, the only significant risk factor was smoking, according to study results.
Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 134 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; mean age, 50.7 years; 96% women) and 77 controls (mean age, 52.3 years; 88% women) without SLE. Patients had no known cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cardiovascular risk and SLE-related variables were measured. Ankle-brachial index (ABI) was used to measure peripheral vascular disease (PVD).
PVD prevalence (ABI≤1) was examined, along with comparisons of mean ABI between SLE and control patients. Propensity score matching was used to examine SLE as an independent risk factor for PVD. Independent risk factors were identified through logistic regression.
Patients with SLE had a lower ABI (1.05) compared with controls (1.09; P=.003) and their PVD prevalence was greater that that of controls (33% vs. 20%; P=.037%).
Researchers found SLE was not an independent risk for PVD (P=.18), and among these patients, smoking was the only significant risk factor for PVD (P=.02).
“The ABI is a noninvasive and inexpensive screening tool to identify PVD,” the researchers concluded. “As PVD is a coronary artery disease risk equivalent, screening and diagnosis may change lipid management in preventive cardiovascular risk assessment in patients with SLE. The combination of SLE and a smoking history may identify individuals for whom checking an ABI makes particular sense.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts