Background/Purpose: The main objective was to study the incidence of myocardial infarction in a cohort of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) assembled prospectively over 25 years within a geographically defined area in Southern Sweden.

Methods: All SLE patients living within a defined geographical area in Southern Sweden between 1981-2006 were included in the study. The patients were observed prospectively within a structured follow-up program. Myocardial infarctions (AMI) were registered according to the definitions in the SLICC/ACR organ damage index during follow-up. The frequency of AMI  was compared with the general population in the same area. Population data on AMI in the study period 1981-2006 were obtained through central databases (Socialstyrelsen). Data were stratified for age and sex.

Results: The health care district of Lund-Orup had a mean population during 1981-2006 of 176.460 persons (>15 yrs of age). One-hundred seventy-five new cases were diagnosed with SLE from 1981-2006. There were 148 women and 27 male patients that received the diagnosis of SLE, with a mean age of diagnosis at 44.3 years. Average follow-up time was 12,4 years from the time of diagnosis. There were 23 cardiovascular related deaths during the study period. Females between the ages 45-54 had an increased risk for acute AMI compared to healthy paired controls (SIR 12,4 (95%CI 1.4-45). In the other 10-year age groups, both for males and females, no significant differences were found. 

Conclusion: Acute myocardial infarction is more prevalent in females between the ages 45-54 with SLE compared with the population in a geographically defined area in southern Sweden.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/cardiovascular-morbidity-in-a-long-term-follow-up-cohort-of-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-patients-in-southern-sweden/