Systemic lupus erythematosus: a model for atherogenesis?

Young women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) lessen the female advantage include familial hypercholeshave strikingly high rates of coronary heart disease terolaemia [12] and premature menopause [13]. [1–4]. Before we can solve the mystery of why these Less publicized entities associated with premature young women are so afflicted, we must first explore our coronary heart disease are rheumatoid arthritis [14–16 ] understanding of cardiovascular disease in the general and SLE [1–4]. It has been well proven that women population. Only by coupling our knowledge of the with SLE are at significant risk of premature cardiopathogenesis of SLE and atherosclerosis and examining vascular disease, now one of the leading causes of death the risk factors common to both diseases can we begin in this population. to unravel the complexity of why these disease processes are so frequently linked.