Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Show an Increased Arterial Stiffness That is Predicted by IgM Anti-β -Glycoprotein I and Small Dense High-Density Lipoprotein Particles.

Objective: To investigate the metabolic and immunologic factors associated with the presence of central arterial stiffness as measured by the augmentation index (AIx).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 69 female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with a control group of 34 healthy women. The anthropometrical variables, the vascular studies, and the analytic data were obtained the same day.