title: Evidence of reduced plasma HDL subfractions in patients with cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dyslipidemic profile of patients with Cutaneous Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) with particular emphasis on the levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol and its subfractions, HDL2 and HDL3.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved characterization of the lipid profile of 30 patients with diagnosed DLE (11 male and 19 female) and 34 age- and BMI-matched healthy individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with DLE presented increased serum cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-Cholesterol levels (P < 0.001, respectively) compared to the control group, while the levels of HDL-Cholesterol (P < 0.001), as well as its subfractions, HDL2 (P < 0.001) and HDL3 (P < 0.02) were markedly decreased. In addition, the ratio of CHOL/HDL was increased in patients with DLE (P < 0.001), whereas a reduction was observed in the ratio of HDL2/HDL3 (P < 0.001) in the same group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that patients with cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus have an increased risk of atherosclerosis due to the marked dyslipidemia associated with the disease. The reduced levels of HDL subfractions, HDL2 and HDL3, are believed to contribute to the dyslipidemic profile and further provide an important target for therapeutic intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Athens School of Medicine, Goudi 74, Athens 11527, Greece.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lagogianni
authors.forename: Aggeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papapanagiotou
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piperi
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kalofoutis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Troupis
authors.forename: Ariadni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zachari
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalofoutis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D053439:Lipoproteins, HDL2; D053440:Lipoproteins, HDL3; D008179:Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D053439:Lipoproteins, HDL2; D053440:Lipoproteins, HDL3