Risk factors for atherosclerosis in systemic autoimmune diseases

Patients with systemic autoimmune diseases have an increased risk to develop atherosclerosis. This is due to the presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors - dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle- and non-traditional ones - the disease itself, hyperhomocisteinemia, corticotherapy-, which rise in a number of ways. Absolute cardiovascular risk scores were not useful to predict cardiovascular disease in this population since by considering just the traditional cardiovascular risk factors futures events are being underestimated. Systematic screening of cardiovascular risk factors and looking for subclinical atherosclerosis must be a part of the follow-up routine for this population. Upon absence of specific guidelines and understanding systematic autoimmuune diseases is a cardiovascular risk factor similar to diabetes mellitus, therapeutic objectives adopted are similar to those used for the latter. Aggressive pharmacological and non-pharmacological control of cardiovascular risk factors is the only way to reduce and is one of the leading causes of death in carriers of systemic autoimmune diseases.