title: Large artery inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: A 23-year-old African-American woman with a history of recurrent pneumonias presented to the hospital with 2 weeks of shortness of breath, chest pain, fevers, and lightheadedness. The histologic diagnosis proved to be lupus aortitis. Optimal Framingham risk factor management by itself may not be a completely successful approach in diminishing the extra risk of atherosclerosis conferred by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore it remains possible that important modifiable cardiovascular risk factors may include low-grade SLE disease activity in medium-sized vessels. The implication of the idea that subclinical vessel inflammation is widespread in patients with lupus-and that this inflammation confers a significant part of the patients' risk of accelerated atherosclerosis-might be a lowering of the threshold for aggressive disease-modifying treatment of lupus, essentially a "treat-to-target" approach to systemic lupus.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, TN, USA.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Sokalski
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Copsey Spring
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D001025:Aortitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aortitis; atherosclerosis; systemic lupus; vasculitis