A Systematic Review of Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Introduction: Understanding cardiovascular risk in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is of paramount clinical relevance, as CVD has emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in this population. Traditional risk models often fail to account for disease-specific mechanisms such as chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Material and methods: This systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, comprehensively analyzed peer-reviewed studies from multiple databases to evaluate cardiovascular risk in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Using predefined eligibility criteria, rigorous selection, independent data extraction, and standardized risk of bias assessment, the review synthesized findings from observational and interventional studies. Results: This systematic review included five eligible studies selected from an initial pool of ۲,۳۴۷ records, highlighting the cardiovascular risk profile in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The studies varied in design, geographic origin, and sample size, but consistently reported high prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors—such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes—as well as notable rates of myocardial infarction, stroke, and subclinical atherosclerosis, underscoring the elevated cardiovascular burden in this patient population.Conclusion: This systematic review highlights a consistently high burden of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and notable rates of subclinical atherosclerosis and clinical events among SLE patients across diverse settings. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia were the most prevalent risk factors. Subclinical atherosclerosis exceeded ۳۵% in all studies, underscoring early vascular involvement. These findings emphasize the need for proactive cardiovascular risk assessment and management in the routine care of patients with SLE.

کلیدواژه ها:

Systemic lupus erythematosus ، cardiovascular risk ، Atherosclerosis ، Myocardial Infarction