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Antonio Orlacchio, Ian N. Bruce, Proton Rahman, Toshitaka Kawarai, Giorgio Bernardi, Peter H. St George-Hyslop, Dafna D. Gladman, Murray B. Urowitz
Med Sci Monit 2008; 14(5): CR233-237
ID: 855747
Background:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a highly prevalent autoimmune disease and coronary artery disease (CAD) is a complication of SLE which is often crucial for the patient's prognosis. It is hypothesized that apolipoprotein E (Apo E), which is involved in cholesterol metabolism, might play a role in this process.
Material and Method:
Patients with SLE registered at the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic who had DNA available for study had their Apo E genotype determined. Each case was assessed for the presence of CAD, and Apo E allele frequencies in patients with SLE were compared with data from the general population. Age at onset and disease duration of CAD were also recorded and compared between groups.
Results:
DNA was stored from 152 patients, of whom 38 (25%) had CAD. There was no difference in the frequencies of the Apo E isoforms between SLE patients and the general population. Patients with the E2 allele developed CAD after a mean +/-SD of 6.0+/-1.9 yrs compared with 14.5+/-5.4 yrs in those with E3/3 (p<0.01).
Conclusions:
The distribution of Apo E genotypes in SLE is not significantly different from that of the North American population. In SLE, Apo E2 was associated with a more rapid development of CAD. Therefore, Apo E2 might interact with other disease-related factors to accelerate the onset of CAD in some patients with SLE and as such might be an additional marker of risk in this population.