Traditional versus nontraditional risk factors of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

摘要

Mechanisms lying on the basis of premature atherosclerosis (ATS) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are now better understood, but still remain not fully explained and the search for the most sensitive and specific risk factors is still an open issue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of classical risk factors and selected characteristics of the disease, including autoantibodies profile, related cytokines, genetic polymorphisms and applied treatment, in ATS development in SLE patients. Undoubtedly, the multifactorial background of this phenomenon is attributed to complex interactions between traditional and nontraditional risk factors for ATS. However, an assessment of cardiovascular risk in SLE patients should be particularly based on analysis of factors involved in a disease process.