Comment on: Association of systemic lupus erythematosus with peripheral arterial disease: a meta-analysis of literature studies

Dear Editor, We read with great interest the article by Forteet al. [1] referring to a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the association between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Taking into consideration that SLE patients have an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as well as the contrasting data that are available about the putative association between PAD and SLE, the authors nicely showed that SLE patients exhibit a ∼four-fold higher prevalence of PAD as compared with non-SLE controls individuals [1]. These results confirmed and extended previously published evidence, evaluating the risk of major cardiovascular (CV) events in SLE patients. In particular, due to impaired endothelial function, an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke was elegantly documented in the clinical setting of the article under discussion. SLE is a chronic, highly heterogeneous autoimmune disease, characterized by differences in autoantibody profile, serum cytokines, and a multi-system involvement. PAD is a common cause of cardiovascular morbidity, representing an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. It is a complex disease impacted by both lifestyle and inheritance. Importantly, several genes causing PAD have been classified as proatherosclerotic or proatherothrombotic, based on the knowledge of the function of their gene products.
Source: Rheumatology - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research