Decreased circulating endothelial progenitor cells as an early risk factor of subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in vascular damage repair and it has been suggested that a decreased number of these cells is associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis. Our study aim was to evaluate whether the number of circulating EPCs in patients with SLE is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, the presence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and SLE-specific factors.

Methods: Forty-six female SLE patients were included.