NEW YORK, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Recognizing that premature coronary heart disease is a major cause of illness and death in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) is sponsoring three separate studies aimed at uncovering the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in lupus, pinpointing techniques for early detection, and identifying potential preventive therapies and new treatments.
The need for increased research in this area was underscored by the publication of two studies in the current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). These reports document the prevalence of premature atherosclerosis in patients with lupus, and clearly demonstrate that lupus is an independent risk factor for heart disease in young women who generally are free of this condition.
“These new studies in the NEJM confirm that we can detect and monitor premature atherosclerosis in women with SLE by employing imaging techniques that pose no risk to the patient,” said LRI Scientific Advisor Robert Eisenberg, MD, who is Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “The LRI-sponsored research will advance our knowledge of heart disease in lupus one step further by increasing our understanding of the usefulness of markers (predictors) of atherosclerosis, and by revealing the underlying mechanisms that lead to atherosclerosis in lupus patients. “
Dr. Eisenberg’s research, funded by the LRI, is focused on developing mouse models of lupus-associated atherosclerosis that will be particularly helpful in trying to dissect the basic processes involved and screening possible preventive treatments.
Another LRI researcher, Joan Von Feldt, MD, also at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is utilizing electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), a noninvasive technique that can detect coronary-artery calcification, to evaluate lupus patients. This technique has been validated as a tool for detecting atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in other populations at risk for heart disease. She is assessing whether traditional factors (such as smoking) or lupus-specific risk factors correlate with abnormal EBCT results. Thus far, her research has identified that one-third of lupus patients studied have abnormal EBCT results. Dr. Von Feldt has found that age, homocysteine levels, and duration of disease are significantly associated with EBCT abnormalities. One of the NEJM articles also used EBCT and reports similar results.
“EBCT may help to identify atherosclerosis in lupus patients who otherwise would not be screened for heart disease,” said Dr. Von Feldt. “In this way, we may be able to intervene early and prevent cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.”
In another study, LRI researcher Mariana J. Kaplan, MD, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Michigan Medical School, has discovered that women with lupus, even in the absence of other risk factors for atherosclerosis, have impairment in the endothelial cells that line the cavities of the heart and blood vessels, and this phenomenon can cause abnormal function of their blood vessels. The study suggests that the heightened heart disease risk in lupus patients may be due to the rapid death and much-too-slow replacement of endothelial cells, which normally keep plaques and clots from forming in blood vessels.
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ of the body. In lupus, the body’s immune system, which normally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, including the heart. It affects more than 1.5 million Americans -- 90 percent of whom are women in the prime of their lives.
The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) is a national nonprofit organization that supports only the highest-ranked novel research in lupus. With a broad-based research agenda, the LRI seeks to change the course of lupus research to improve treatments for prevention and eventual cure of lupus. The LRI has awarded more than 7 million in grants, supporting 35 scientists at leading medical institutions around the country. Specific information on individual research projects can be obtained online at http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/.
Lupus Research Institute
CONTACT: Lydia Dorsky of the Lupus Research Institute, +1-212-685-4118,or cell, +1-908-642-6269
Web site: http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/