SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY

Systemic lupus erythematosus, sometimes known as SLE, is a type of autoimmune illness that can express itself in a dizzying array of different ways in patients. Atherosclerosis and the conditions that result from it are the leading causes of late mortality in people who have complications from SLE. Traditional risk factors, the presence of specific risk factors, the duration of the course, the use of glucocorticoids (GC), the presence of autoantibodies to double-stranded (native) DNA, and the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies all create conditions that accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in this group of patients. The research that is now available suggests that established risk factors for cardiovascular disease should be revised in order to take into consideration the beneficial effect of antimalarial medications as well as the unfavorable prognostic effect of prolonged use of GC.