title: Is preclinical autoimmunity benign?: The case of cardiovascular disease.
abstract: Although there are many examples of autoantibodies in disease-free individuals, they can be a preclinical phenomenon heralding future autoimmune rheumatic disease. They may be a marker for autoreactive B-cell activation and other inflammatory autoimmune processes. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and the increased risk of CVD in patients with rheumatic disease with autoantibodies, suggest that CVD may have autoimmune features. Autoantibodies might be risk markers for subclinical and clinical CVD development not only in patients with rheumatic diseases but in the general population as well.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 240 East Huron, M300, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. Electronic address: d-majka@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Darcy S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Majka
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 240 East Huron, M300, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Rowland W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000276:immunology; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000276:immunology; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; D001323:Autoantibodies; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C487763:cyclic citrullinated peptide; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor
keywords: Autoantibodies; Autoimmunity; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary artery calcification; Intima media thickness; Preclinical