Low-dose aspirin as primary prophylaxis for cardiovascular events in systemic lupus erythematosus: a long-term retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are significantly greater in SLE patients than in the general population. ASA is known to be associated with a decrease in the incidence of CV events in high-risk patients from the general population, but its efficacy as primary prophylaxis in SLE patients has not yet been investigated.

Methods: The clinical charts of SLE patients consecutively admitted to a tertiary centre who, at admission, satisfied 1992 ACR and/or 2012 SLICC classification criteria for SLE and had not experienced any CV event, were reviewed.

Lack of replication of higher genetic risk load in men than in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Introduction: We aimed to replicate a recent study which showed higher genetic risk load at 15 loci in men than in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This difference was very significant, and it was interpreted as indicating that men require more genetic susceptibility than women to develop SLE.

Methods: Nineteen SLE-associated loci (thirteen of which are shared with the previous study) were analyzed in 1,457 SLE patients and 1,728 healthy controls of European ancestry.

Further evidence of subphenotype association with systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility loci: a European cases only study.

Introduction: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) shows a spectrum of clinical manifestations that complicate its diagnosis, treatment and research. This variability is likely related with environmental exposures and genetic factors among which known SLE susceptibility loci are prime candidates. The first published analyses seem to indicate that this is the case for some of them, but results are still inconclusive and we aimed to further explore this question.

Bias in effect size of systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility loci across Europe: a case-control study.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate whether the effect size of the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk alleles varies across European subpopulations.

Methods: European SLE patients (n = 1,742) and ethnically matched healthy controls (n = 2,101) were recruited at 17 centres from 10 different countries. Only individuals with self-reported ancestry from the country of origin were included.

Association of systemic lupus erythematosus clinical features with European population genetic substructure.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a very varied spectrum of clinical manifestations that could be partly determined by genetic factors. We aimed to determine the relationship between prevalence of 11 clinical features and age of disease onset with European population genetic substructure. Data from 1413 patients of European ancestry recruited in nine countries was tested for association with genotypes of top ancestry informative markers.