Cardiovascular manifestations

Cardiac manifestations seen in lupus patients include:

• accelerated atherosclerosis
  • studies have revealed that in lupus patients, artherosclerosis develop prematurely and independenatly of traditional risk factors
• pericarditis
  • is the most common cardiovascular complication affecting about 25% of patients.
• mild myocarditis
• Libman-Sacks endocarditis (1)
• bacterial endocarditis superimposed on a valve damaged by Libman-Sacks endocarditis
• rarely - aortic valve lesions, such as aortic regurgitation, and cardiomyopathy
• recurrent venous or arterial thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and other effects of lupus anticoagulant
• congenital heart block may occur in neonatal lupus

Reference:

• (1) Cojocaru M et al.Manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. Maedica (Buchar). 2011;6(4):330-6.
• (2) Manson JJ, Rahman A. Systemic lupus erythematosus. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2006;1:6