Arteries Clog Earlier In People With Lupus, Says New Study

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Arteries

Clog Earlier In People With Lupus, Says New Study

December 18, 2003

BETHESDA, MD (NIH) -- People with the

autoimmune disease lupus may develop carotid atherosclerosis (the buildup of

fatty deposits in the arteries) at an accelerated rate and independently of

many risk factors normally associated with cardiovascular disease, according

to a new study supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes

of Health. The work was reported in the December 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, carried out by J. Roman,

M.D., at Weill Medical College of Cornell

University, Jane E. Salmon, M.D., at the Hospital for Special Surgery (N.Y.),

and their colleagues examined 197 people with lupus and the same number of

matched controls. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including family

history of heart disease, cholesterol levels, smoking and hypertension, were

similar in both groups, but atherosclerosis, as evidenced by carotid

ultrasound, was more prevalent in lupus patients. The scientists also found

that people with lupus who had the disease longer, had more damage from the

disease, and had used less of the immunosuppressive drug cyclophosphamide

to treat it were more likely to develop fatty deposits in their arteries.

" Although we've known for some time

that there is an association between lupus and premature heart attacks, "

said NIAMS Director I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. " until now we haven't

understood well the reasons. This study gives us a basis to pursue

intervention strategies for reducing cardiovascular risks. "

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus)

is a rheumatic disease that can affect many parts of the body, including the

joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain. People who have

lupus may have many different symptoms, but some of the most common ones

include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained

fever, skin rashes and kidney problems. Many more women than men have lupus.

It is three times more common in African American women than in Caucasian

women and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian and Native American

descent.

Funding for this study was also provided by

the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center on

Minority Health and Health Disparities, which along with NIAMS are parts of

the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) National Institutes of

Health; DHHS' Public Health Service; the Kirkland Center for Lupus

Research at the Hospital for Special Surgery; and the Bugher

Foundation.

To contact Dr. Roman, call Weil at

the Weill Medical College of Cornell University at

. To contact Dr. Salmon, call Godek

at the Hospital for Special Surgery at .

Much

Love,

Deanna

LUPUS

Serenity Prayer...

Lord, grant me the

serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things

I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of doctors I shot when they said,

You're perfectly healthy, it's all in your head "