Patient selection: adult with SLE
Outcomes: cardiovascular event (ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, death from cardiovascular disease)
Risk factors for a first cardiovascular event in a multivariate Cox regression model:
(1) older age (will use age > 50 years in the implementation)
(2) any positive antiphospholipid antibody (associated with a hypercoagulable state)
(3) elevated von Willebrand factor (as an indicator of endothelial activation)
(4) absence of thrombocytopenia
Additional factors associated with a first CVE:
(1) smoking
(2) arthritis
(3) pleuritis
(4) history of venous occlusion (thrombosis may be an indicator of a hypercoagulable state)
(5) hyperfibrinogenemia (as a marker of systemic inflammation)
where:
• Arterial thrombosis can be seen in a hypercoagulable state including antiphospholipid syndrome.
