Comparison of carotid intima-media thickness and cognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus patients versus healthy subjects

BackgroundSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients tend to have accelerated atherosclerosis. It mayhave a role in the impairment of cognitive function related to a decrease in cerebrovascular blood flow.MethodsSixty SLE patients and 61 healthy subjects as participants underwent: history taking, physicalexamination, blood examination, medication, carotid Doppler ultrasound test, and cognitive function test.We compared Carotid Intima-media Thickness (CIMT) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment IndonesianVersion (MoCA-Ina) scores of the two groups.ResultThe comparison of the total MoCA-Ina scores between the two groups was not statistically significant (<i>p</i> = .332). However, the orientation domain in the SLE group was statistically lower than the HS group (5.83 ± 0.41 vs 6 ± 0.00, <i>p</i> = .002). The SLE group was found to have a thicker anterior and posterior IMT of right carotid artery (<i>p</i> < .001, <i>p</i> = .031) and a thicker anterior IMT of left carotid artery (<i>p</i> < .001). There was a significant inverse correlation between the total MoCA-Ina score and the posterior IMT of the left carotid artery (r = -0.272, <i>p</i> = .035) of SLE patients. Atherosclerosis plaque of the right carotid artery was not associated with total MoCA-Ina score; however, there was a significant association with the attention domain (<i>p</i> = .023) and the visuospatial domain of MoCA-Ina (<i>p</i> = .018).ConclusionSLE patients have lower orientation domain of MoCA-Ina and thicker CIMT than healthy subjects. Atherosclerosis plaque of the carotid artery was associated with attention and visuospatial domains of MoCA-Ina.