Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Novel vascular damage markers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): insights from carotid colour Doppler ultrasound and aortic oscillometry in the LUPCARD cohort
Authors' conclusion
In the first study of CV surrogate markers in SLE combining oscillometry and carotid CDUS/GSUS, patients showed increased carotid pulsatility and resistance compared with controls. Furthermore, several patient-related and disease-related factors were identified as angiopathy predictors.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE and healthy controls (LUPCARD cohort)
- Participants
- 185 vs 150
- Exposure
- SLE patients vs healthy controls
- SLEn = 185
- Controlsn = 150reference
- Outcome
- Markers of macrovascular damage: CCA and internal carotid artery (ICA) Resistance-Index and Pulsatility-Index (CDUS), cIMT, atherosclerotic plaque and total calcification area (GSUS), aortic stiffness by cfPWV
Methodological detailspropensity-score matched
- Propensity-score matched
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Carotid markers, SLE vs controls after propensity-score matching
- SLE vs Controls: padj =0.006
- SLE vs Controls: padj =0.028
- SLE vs Controls: padj=0.011
- SLE vs Controls: padj<0.001
- Propensity-score matching
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Associations among SLE patients
- Elevated CRP associated with higher ICA-RI
- padj =0.016
- ANA positivity associated with higher CCA-PI
- padj =0.009
- ANA positivity associated with higher CCA-RI
- padj =0.011
- ICA-PI correlated with lung involvement
- padj=0.011
- Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) inversely related with CO-diffusion
- padj=0.003
- Total plaque area inversely related with CO-diffusion
- padj =0.018
Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and cfPWV correlations
- Positive correlation with age
- P < 0.001
- Positive correlation with mean arterial pressure
- P < 0.001
- Inverse correlation with eGFR
- both p<0.05
Original publication
Novel vascular damage markers in SLE: insights from carotid colour Doppler ultrasound and aortic oscillometry in the LUPCARD cohort. RMD Open. Published 25 December 2025. doi:10.
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