RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Coronary, Carotid, and Lower-extremity Atherosclerosis and Their Interrelationship in Danish Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP 315 OP 322 DO 10.3899/jrheum.150488 VO 43 IS 2 A1 Susan Due Kay A1 Mikael Kjaer Poulsen A1 Axel Cosmus Pyndt Diederichsen A1 Anne Voss YR 2016 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/2/315.abstract AB Objective. Atherosclerosis is highly prevalent among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but has been demonstrated predominantly in non-European SLE cohorts and few investigations have included more than 1 imaging modality. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of atherosclerosis in 3 frequently affected vascular territories, the coronary, carotid, and lower-extremity arteries, in a Danish, predominantly population-based SLE cohort.Methods. Patients with SLE without prior cardiovascular disease (CVD; n = 103) were screened for coronary artery calcification, carotid intima-media thickening and plaque, and abnormal ankle-brachial index by means of cardiac computed tomography, ultrasound of the carotid arteries, and ankle systolic blood pressure.Results. In patients with SLE, the prevalence of atherosclerosis in any vascular territory was 41%. The distribution of the atherosclerotic manifestations showed an overlap with 45% of the patients having involvement in more than 1 vascular territory. However, more than one-third of the patients with SLE with coronary, carotid, or lower-extremity atherosclerosis exclusively demonstrated this particular manifestation. Based on a multiple logistic regression model, age (p < 0.001), current smoking (p = 0.009), and the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC; p = 0.008) were significant independent risk factors for atherosclerosis at any vascular territory.Conclusion. Atherosclerosis is highly prevalent among Danish patients with SLE without prior CVD. Screening for atherosclerosis in 1 vascular territory is insufficient in diagnosing atherosclerosis in patients with SLE. In Danish patients with SLE, the presence of atherosclerosis was not only assigned to traditional CV risk factors, but also associated with SLICC.