Premature atherosclerosis in systemic autoimmune diseases

Systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) are associated with a significantly increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to age- and sex-matched controls. Many risk factors are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the major underlying cause of CVD. In this thesis, prevalence of premature atherosclerosis and the contribution of traditional and non-traditional risk factors, as reviewed in chapter 1, have been investigated. Different methods have been used to assess premature atherosclerosis, including measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) and assessment of endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, factors which might be involved in the development of atherosclerosis are described, such as accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts and the dysfunction of circulating endothelial progenitor cells