The team also identified other predictors of stroke and of ischemic heart disease. “Discoid rash at time of lupus diagnosis predicted fivefold higher stroke risk, which was a somewhat surprising and interesting finding,” Dr. Garg noted. Renal disorder also predicted a twofold higher risk. However, neither of these was predictive of ischemic heart disease risk. For that, age was a strong predictor, and neurological and immunological disorders (including ones such as antiphospholipid syndrome) were less so.
The factors underlying these racial differences—whether derived from social factors, differences in treatment (such as duration of steroid use) or treatment access, cardiovascular risk factors, or other unknown physiological drivers—remain a topic of high interest.
“In future studies we will examine mechanisms that drive different timings and predictors of cardiovascular disease subtypes and disparities. We will also examine the impact of timely prevention in high risk [lupus] subsets,” Dr. Garg concluded.
Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD, is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine. She is a freelance medical and science writer living in Bloomington, Ind.
Reference
- Gianfrancesco M, Hyrich KL, Al-Adely S, et al; COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance. Characteristics associated with hospitalisation for COVID-19 in people with rheumatic disease: Data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registry. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jul;79(7):859–866.
