title: Cardiovascular risk factors, burden of disease and preventive strategies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with the general population. Traditional risk factors cannot account for the totality of CV events and adequate prevention may be challenging.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review summarizes traditional and emerging risk factors of CVD in SLE patients and goes over potential pathogenic mechanisms involved in CVD development. Role of commonly used drugs and preventive strategies exploitable in everyday clinical practice are also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SLE-related risk factors involve both disease- and treatment-related features, including disease activity, disease phenotype, corticosteroid misuse and alterations of innate and adaptive immunity. Primary prevention is mandatory in management of lupus patients through appropriate disease control, corticosteroid tapering, use of antimalarials and eventually vitamin D supplementation.
authors.affiliation: a 1 University of Padova, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine , Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy +390 498 212 202, +393 388 072 644 ; +390 498 212 191 ; adoria@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
authors.forename: Mariele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larosa
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iaccarino
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Punzi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doria
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: accelerated atherosclerosis; antimalarials; cardiovascular disease; preventive strategies; systemic lupus erythematosus