Table 1

Baseline and follow-up descriptive in 77 patients with SLE and 74 controls

SLEP valueControlsP value
BaselineFollow-upBaselineFollow-up
Age, years46.7 (13.6)54.0 (13.7)NA50.5 (11.5)57.7 (11.7)NA
Male sex % (n)13 (10)NANA11 (8)NANA
CV clinical and laboratory characteristics
 Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)127.2 (20.5)133.4 (22.0) 0.011 121.5 (19.1)136.4 (22.5) < 0.001
 Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)79.2 (12.7)84.9 (11.1) < 0.001 76.5 (11.0)85.5 (10.3) < 0.001
 Blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg %39.0*57.3 0.011 23.056.2 < 0.001
 Total cholesterol (mmol/L)4.6 (1.1)4.8 (1.1)* 0.048 4.9 (1.0)5.3 (1.0) < 0.001
 LDL-cholesterol (mmol/L)2.5 (0.9)*2.7 (0.9)*0.0512.8 (0.8)3.1 (1.0) < 0.001
 HDL-cholesterol (mmol/L)1.6 (0.5)*1.6 (0.4)*0.91.8 (0.6)1.8 (0.5)0.6
 TC:HDL ratio3.1 (2.9)3.2 (2.9)0.33.0 (0.9)3.2 (0.9) 0.021
 LDL:HDL ratio1.73 (0.82)1.79 (0.87)0.41.75 (0.75)1.90 (0.83) 0.035
 Triglycerides (mmol/L)1.1 (0.5)*1.2 (0.6)*0.10.8 (0.4)0.9 (0.4)0.081
 BMI (kg/m2)24.6 (4.6)26.2 (5.4) < 0.001 25.2 (4.2)26.2 (25.5) 0.001
 Waist circumference (cm)84.6 (15.3)90.1 (14.3) 0.001 85.5 (11.2)88.5 (12.2) 0.003
 CRP (mg/L), median (IQR)1.4 (0.7–3.8)1.6 (0.5–4.4)0.71.1 (0.5–2.6)0.8 (0.5–2.6)0.8
 ESR (mm/h)22.9 (17.4)*21.4 (17.9)*0.49.8 (5.6)12.0 (9.4) 0.021
 Serum creatinine (µmol/L)77.0 (26.9)75.1 (30.9)0.05069.0 (11.3)67.2 (11.7)0.2
Traditional CV risk factors, %
 Smoking ever55.857.30.50051.456.20.3
 Hypertension55.8*70.7 0.013 25.756.2 < 0.001
 Diabetes mellitus2.69.30.0632.74.11.0
 Dyslipidaemia33.840.50.537.854.8 0.002
 Obesity13.921.30.1099.517.80.070
 Family history of CV disease26.031.90.332.441.7 0.016
 History of CV events % (n)†9.1% (7)15.6% (12)0.0632.7% (2)5.4% (4)0.5
Current medications %
 Antihypertensive45.5*50.7*0.58.117.8 0.016
 Lipid lowering9.117.30.0706.89.60.6
 ASA24.7*33.3*0.0704.14.21.0
Carotid ultrasound measurements
 Mean cIMT (mm)0.607 (0.123)0.670 (0.125) < 0.001 0.629 (0.114)0.701 (0.130) < 0.001
 Mean cIMT absolute progression (mm)0.063 (0.099)NA0.077 (0.093)NA
 Cartoid plaque % (n)39.0%(30)NA35.1%(27)NA
  • Values are means (SD) unless noted otherwise; p value represents the comparisons within the groups at baseline and follow-up assessments.

  • *if p<0.05 for between-group differences at the same time-point assessment.

  • †CV events at follow-up include the events present at baseline.

  • ASA, low-dose aspirin; BMI, body mass index; cIMT, carotid intima–media thickness; CRP, C reactive protein; CV, cardiovascular; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NA, not available; TC, total cholesterol.