Potential Biomarker for Lupus

Investigators in a new study have uncovered a form of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), known as the "good cholesterol,” which promotes atherosclerosis and heart disease in many people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis.

This new form of HDL is called pro-inflammatory (piHDL). In the study, researchers measured the presence of piHDL in samples of blood plasma from 154 women with SLE, 73 age-matched controls, and 50 women with rheumatoid arthritis. The HDL of those with SLE contained significantly more piHDL than the control group. Aslo, piHDL was found in eight of the 10 individuals with SLE determined to have atherosclerosis. The biomarker was similarly high in half of the 12 subjects with SLE who had suffered a stroke.

"We found that almost 50% of SLE patients, versus approximately 4% of controls, and 20% of rheumatoid arthritis patients, had piHDL,” said Dr. Hahn.

The study was conducted by Dr. Hahn and colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, USA).

"We can clearly see from these results that HDL function fails to protect against cardiovascular disease in many SLE and rheumatoid arthritis patients,” concluded Dr. Hahn. "This discovery may lead to an effective test [a fluorescence assay] to identify those at increased risk for blockage of the coronary arteries so that we can start them on preventive treatments like cholesterol-lowering statins.”