Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus patients from Northeastern Brazil: association with disease activity, nephritis, smoking, and age

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune inflammatory disease, is associated with an increased prevalence of accelerated atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a set of cardiovascular risk factors in SLE patients, which may lead to a proinflammatory condition and increased morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of MetS in a cohort of SLE patients versus healthy controls, and to analyze the association of clinical and demographic factors. SLE patients (n = 146) treated at a Northeast Brazilian university hospital were evaluated with regard to demographic, clinical, laboratory, and anthropometric parameters and compared to controls (n = 101). MetS was diagnosed according to the definition of 2005 NCEP/ATP III. The average age of SLE patients was 41.7 +/- A 12.5 years, and 91.8 % were female. MetS was significantly more prevalent in SLE patients (45.2 %) than in controls (32.7 %; p = 0.04). The MetS components such as hypertension, diabetes, and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly more prevalent in SLE. In the univariate analysis, MetS in SLE patients was associated with age, disease duration, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index, smoking, menopause, nephritis, cyclophosphamide use, prednisone dose, and chloroquine use, which appeared to have a protective effect. In the logistic regression analysis, age, disease activity, nephritis, and smoking were statistically significant. The prevalence of MetS observed in our cohort of SLE patients from Northeastern Brazil is higher than controls. MetS components should be routinely investigated to minimize the occurrence of MetS and associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.