Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) patients may be at higher risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), a new study shows.
The research, which appears in JAMA Dermatology, suggests CLE patients should be screened early for heart disease.
“While it has been well established that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, those with cutaneous lupus, who generally fall in the milder spectrum of lupus disease, had little clarity about their chances of developing significant heart disease,” says senior author Benjamin Chong, MD., Professor of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in Dallas, TX, in a news release.“This study helps shed light on this knowledge gap and encourages providers to discuss this potential risk with their patients with cutaneous lupus.”
Using the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, UTSW researchers analyzed data from 306,770 adults over 18 years of age. Each individual was identified as having CLE, SLE, or psoriasis based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes and evaluation by a dermatologist or rheumatologist, excluding patients with overlap between diseases.
For the three disease groups, researchers compared the prevalence of ASCVD and the incidence of newly diagnosed ASCVD. In addition, the association between CLE severity and ASCVD was investigated. Both the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with CLE was similar to that of patients with SLE and higher than those with psoriasis and age-matched, disease-free controls, the study showed.
After controlling for cardiovascular disease risk factors, the study found no increased risk in adults with psoriasis. However, adults with more severe cases of CLE who were on systemic therapy experienced a higher prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease than those with mild CLE, who received no treatment or only topical treatments.
“Our findings suggest clinicians treating individuals with CLE should consider them at increased risk for ASCVD and evaluate them accordingly,” adds lead author Henry Chen, MD, a UT Southwestern resident in Dermatology.
PHOTO CREDIT: DermNet
