TY - JOUR T1 - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Lipoprotein Subclasses and the APOE Genotype Influence Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol DO - 10.3899/jrheum.091175 SP - jrheum.091175 AU - Marta Gonzàlez AU - Josep Ribalta AU - Glòria Vives AU - Simona Iftimie AU - Raimón Ferré AU - Núria Plana AU - Montse Guardiola AU - Geesje Dallinga-Thie AU - Lluís Masana AU - Antoni Castro Y1 - 2010/08/03 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2010/07/29/jrheum.091175.abstract N2 - Objective Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have accelerated atherosclerosis. Since the conventional lipid profile (total plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol) is not consistently altered in SLE, we hypothesized that investigation of lipoprotein subclasses would improve prediction of risk of atherosclerosis in these patients. Methods As a quantitative index of atherosclerosis, we measured the carotid intimamedia thickness (IMT) in 68 patients with SLE and related the atherosclerosis to a detailed lipoprotein profile generated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). We measured the cholesterol transported by the pool of remnant lipoproteins (RLPc) and evaluated the modulatory effect of the APOE genotype on the lipoprotein subclass profile and atherosclerosis associated with SLE. Results Circulating lipoprotein remnant particles [RLPc and intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL)] were positively correlated with IMT, and among them, the indicator that explained 20.2% of the variability in carotid atherosclerosis measured in these patients was IDL, as assessed by NMR. Carriers of the APOE2 allele were at increased risk due to a significant accumulation of IDL particles. Conclusion Lipoprotein subclasses are more associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with SLE than the lipid variables that are routinely measured. The IDL fraction, which is significantly modulated by the APOE genotype, is the most strongly, significantly, and positively correlated with IMT. ER -