Non-invasive evaluation of the arterial wall properties in female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / Avaliação não-invasiva das propriedades da parede arterial em pacientes portadoras de lúpus eritematoso sistêmico

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate arterial stiffness and distensibility in pre-menopausal female systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and assess the influence of disease activity on these parameters. METHODS: Thirty-seven female SLE patients aged less than 40 years old and with less than 10 years of disease duration were selected. Exclusion criteria were smoking, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, chronic renal failure, secondary antiphospholipid syndrome, and pregnancy or menopause at the time of the study. Patients were divided into active (SLEDAI>4) or inactive (SLEDAI<4) disease, and compared to twenty-five healthy female controls. All subjects underwent arterial stiffness and distensibility evaluation by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and common carotid echo-tracking. RESULTS: PWV was significantly different among the studied groups (p=0.01). Active SLE patients had lower PWV levels compared to inactive SLE patients (6.89 ± 1.00 vs. 7.79 ± 1.10 m/s, p<0.05) and also to controls (6.89 ± 1.00 vs. 8.14 ± 1.07 m/s, p<0.05). Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between PWV and SLEDAI (r=-0.354, p=0.03). All carotid echo-tracking parameters were similar among groups (p>0.05): intima-media thickness (IMT) (p=0.50), diastolic diameter (p=0.34), distensibility coefficient (p=0.98), compliance coefficient (p=0.74), and elastic incremental modulus (p=0.87). IMT had a positive significant correlation with age (r=0.328, p=0.04) and a negative significant correlation with HDL (r=-0.366, p=0.03) and apolipoprotein A1 (r=-0.407, p=0.01). A trend of positive correlation between IMT and disease duration (r=0.306, p=0.06) was observed. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that SLE activity is responsible for alterations in arterial walls compatible with early atherosclerotic process, since the reduced arterial stiffness observed in active disease may be secondary to a greater inflammatory infiltration and foam cell formation.

ASSUNTO(S)

pulso arterial risk factors women atherosclerosis fatores de risco inflamação aterosclerose mulheres. lúpus eritematoso sistêmico pulse ultra-sonografia ultrasonography inflammation systemic lupus erythematosus

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