Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Atherosclerosis

The aim of this study is to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis in children and adolescents with juvenile SLE by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and to determine its associations with traditional cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity) and non-traditional disease-related risk factors (disease activity, lupus nephritis, corticosteroid dose, disease duration).

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease affecting individuals under 18 years of age, with reported incidence rates of 0.3-0.9 per 100,000 children per year and a prevalence ranging from 3.3 to 24 per 100,000 children globally . Approximately 10-20% of all SLE cases are diagnosed during childhood, and the disease typically follows a more severe clinical course in children than in adults . Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in SLE, with patients facing a 2-10 times higher risk of developing CVD compared to the general population, and an up to 50-fold increased risk in young women of reproductive age . In children with JSLE, CVD-related mortality is significantly elevated compared to age-matched healthy peers, and subclinical atherosclerosis has been reported in up to 32% of pediatric SLE patients (4). This process is driven by a complex interplay of traditional risk factors - including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity - alongside non-traditional disease-related factors such as persistent disease activity, lupus nephritis, prolonged corticosteroid use, and immune dysregulation (5). Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measured by B-mode ultrasonography is a validated, non-invasive surrogate marker for early atherosclerosis. Meta-analyses of SLE populations have demonstrated significantly increased CIMT and higher prevalence of carotid plaques in SLE patients compared to healthy controls . In JSLE specifically the Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus, CIMT was established as the primary measure for tracking atherosclerosis progression. . However, the associations between specific cardiovascular risk factors and CIMT in pediatric lupus cohorts in our region remain poorly characterized, highlighting the need for this prospective evaluation.

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