Cardiovascular Disease Increased in Hospitalized Lupus Patients Save

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients who are hospitalized have an increased prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and its individual phenotypes of coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), and cerebrovascular disease. 

A nested case-control study drawn from the National Inpatient Sample, examined SLE patients (and adult controls) who were hospitalzed between 2008 and 2014. Hospitalized SLE patients (n=252,676) were matched (1:3) with non-SLE adults (n=758,034). 

The SLE cohort had a mean age was 51 years, 89% were women, and 49% were white.

Patients with SLE had a higher prevalence of ASCVD compared to those without SLE (25.6% vs 19.2%; OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.44-1.47; P<.001).

SLE was associated with a greater odds of ASCVD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.46; 95% CI, 1.41-1.51).  SLE was associated with increased odds of CAD (aOR, 1.42), PAD (aOR, 1.25), and cerebrovascular disease (aOR, 1.68).  The association between SLE and ASCVD was seen in both sexs and declined with increasing age. 

These data suggest that atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a prevalent problem amongst hospitalized SLE patients, especially in younger patients.