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Cumulative hydroxychloroquine and aspirin may prevent cardiovascular events in patients with SLE
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In patients with lupus, ongoing use of hydroxychloroquine plus low-dose aspirin may be associated with increased effectiveness in the primary prevention of cardiovascular events, according to recently published findings.
Researchers identified 189 patients from a database of the Rheumatology Unit of the Second University of Naples. The study group included 175 women and the overall mean age at baseline was 31 years. Patients had a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) upon admission, and had never experienced a cardiovascular event (CVE). Patients were seen for follow-up every 3 months to 6 months, depending upon their clinical condition. Investigators documented any CVE that occurred during the intervening time and information about the use of aspirin (ASA) and cumulative dosages of hydroxychloroquine (c-HCQ). Researchers used Kaplan-Meier analysis to determine the cumulative dosage that yielded a lower rate of CVE. Cox regression analysis was used to determine factors linked to an initial CVE.
They found 10 patients experienced the following non-lethal thrombotic events: stroke, one patient; transient ischemic attack, five patients; and acute myocardial infarction, four patients. The mean time to the first CVE was 5 years. Four (2.1%) patients died during the course of the study; none of these deaths were related to CV complications.
Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significant disparity in CVE-free rates among the four patient subgroups. There was no difference in CVE-free rate between the 135 patients treated with ASA plus HCA and the 28 patients treated with aspirin monotherapy.
A lower rate of CVEs was reported in the c-HCQ patients. A higher CVE-free rate was documented in the 85 patients on an ASA-HCA regimen who had arrived at a cHCQ dosage greater than 600 g than in the 28 patients who were treated with ASA monotherapy or the 51 patients treated with ASA/cHCQ at a dosage less than 600g. There were no differences in traditional CV risk factors and those specific to SLE among the patient groups, nor were there differences between medications (statins, high-dose steroids).
Multivariate analysis revealed that cumulative treatment with hydroxychloroquine, when added to ASA, was thromboprotective. High blood pressure and antiphospholipid antibody positivity were identified as predictive of an initial CVE.
“Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This study was performed to investigate the role of aspirin and distinct hydroxychloroquine cumulative dosages and treatment durations,” researcher Serena Fasano told Healio/Rheumatology. “We found that aspirin and antimalarials, when administered for more than 5 years at a cumulative dosage greater than 600 g, may reduce the CVE risk in SLE patients.” – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.
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