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TUESDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDayNews) -- Women with lupus
have more risk factors for heart disease than women without the
autoimmune disorder, says a study by researchers at the University
of Toronto Lupus Clinic.
In addition to traditional risk factors for heart disease, women
with lupus have several novel metabolic risk factors that may be
linked to the inflammation caused by lupus, the researchers say.
Their report appears in the November issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
The study, which included 250 women with lupus and 250 healthy
women in a control group, found those with lupus were more prone
to such traditional risk factors for heart disease as hypertension
and diabetes. Lupus patients were also more sedentary.
The two groups were matched for age. Despite that, the women with
lupus were more likely to be menopausal -- 38 percent compared to
19 percent of the control group. Women with lupus experienced menopause,
on average, five years earlier than women in the control group.
The lupus patients also had much higher levels of triglycerides,
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and homocysteine. These
are all factors related to lipid metabolism and characteristic of
inflammatory disorders such as lupus. These probably contribute
to the loss of protection from coronary heart disease (CHD) in women
with lupus.
"Many of the factors identified are potentially amenable
to screening and intervention. Further studies to understand the
additional contribution of the inflammatory process to CHD risk
in lupus are needed, as are studies to accurately predict the future
risk of CHD in this high-risk population," lead researcher
Dr. Ian N. Bruce says in a prepared statement.
Several previous studies confirmed that women with lupus are five
to eight times more likely to develop CHD than women in the general
population. That risk is especially pronounced among women younger
than 55.
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that's marked by progressive damage
to the kidneys, heart and brain.
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