Assessment of Lipid Profile in Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by multisystem inflammation and the presence of circulating autoantibodies against self-antigens leading to inflammatory damage of many target organs including the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, blood vessels, and the central nervous system.Premature atherosclerosis has been recognized as an important issue for patients with SLE since the mid-1970s. Among the traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis, a history of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and abnormal lipid profile have been shown to be important (7). In patients with juvenile SLE, smoking, diabetes, and uncontrolled hypertension are not common and therefore abnormal lipid profiles may be the most important risk factor.The lipid profile of both children and adults with SLE is the result of a combination of the influences of active disease, therapies, and genetics. The best way to determine the maximal potential effect of disease activity itself would be to examine patients at the time of presentation of SLE, when they are likely to have high disease activity but no effect of corticosteroid therapy.Studies in patients with active SLE suggested that there is a distinct pattern of lipid abnormalities of increased very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglycerides and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 levels ("active SLE pattern")