Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of myocardial perfusion abnormalities and the possible association between myocardial perfusion defects and traditional coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors as well as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) related risk factors. Patients and methods: Female patients with SLE, disease duration .5 years, age 18-55 years, who had used steroids for at least one year were enrolled. Traditional CAD risk factors evaluated were arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, postmenopausal status, smoking, obesity, and premature family CAD profile. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy was evaluated by single photon emission computed tomography with technetium 99m-sestamibi at rest and after dipyridamole induced stress. Results: Eight two female patients with SLE without angina pectoris with mean (SD) age 37 (10) years, disease duration 127 (57) months, SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score 6 (5), and SLICC/ACR-DI score 2 (2) were evaluated. Myocardial perfusion abnormalities were found in 23 patients (28%). The mean (SD) number of CAD risk factors was 2.2 (1.6). There was a significant positive correlation between age and number of CAD risk factors. Lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level showed a significant association with abnormal scintigraphy. Logistic regression analysis showed that lower HDL cholesterol level and diabetes mellitus were associated with myocardial perfusion abnormalities. Current vasculitis was also associated with abnormal scintigraphy. Conclusions: Lower HDL cholesterol level and diabetes mellitus have a significant influence on abnormal myocardial perfusion results found in asymptomatic patients with SLE. Current vasculitis was associated with abnormal myocardial scintigraphy. These data suggest that abnormal myocardial scintigraphy may be related to subclinical atherosclerosis.T he survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has improved in the past three decades. Despite the improved survival patients with SLE still die at a rate that is three times greater than that of the general population.

Objective. According to published studies, 16-82% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have abnormal findings on myocardial perfusion tests, but it has not been established whether these patients also have abnormal findings on coronary angiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of abnormal findings on coronary angiography in SLE patients in whom myocardial perfusion scintigraphy revealed abnormalities.Methods. Ninety female SLE patients (ages 20-55 years, disease duration >5 years, and current or previous steroid treatment for >1 year) underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with single-photonemission computed tomography using 99m Tc-sestamibi. Images were taken while the patient was at rest and after dipyridamole-induced stress. Myocardial perfusion defects were identified in 30 patients (33%). Twenty-one of these patients (mean ؎ SD age 42 ؎ 9; mean ؎ SD disease duration 132 ؎ 66 months) agreed to undergo coronary angiography.Results. Atherosclerotic plaques were identified by angiography in 8 of the 21 patients (38%). The majority of coronary abnormalities were localized in the anterior descending artery. The mean ؎ SD number of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) was significantly higher in the subgroup with (4.5 ؎ 0.8) compared with the subgroup without (2.5 ؎ 1.9) abnormal angiographic findings (P ‫؍‬ 0.006). Arterial hypertension and postmenopause status were significantly associated with abnormal angiographic findings. Of the patients with at least 4 risk factors for CAD, coronary stenosis was present in 67% (P ‫؍‬ 0.005). The number of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE and scores on the SLE Disease Activity Index and the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR damage index were also higher in the subgroup with coronary stenosis (P < 0.05).Conclusion. This is the first study to examine coronary angiography results in SLE patients with abnormal findings on myocardial scintigraphy. Our data suggest that myocardial scintigraphy can be used to screen SLE patients and that all patients with abnormal findings plus at least 4 risk factors for CAD should undergo coronary angiography.

Osteonecrosis is a relatively common complication in systemiclupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Objective: To evaluate the possible risk factors associated with osteonecrosis in SLE patients. Methods: SLE patients [according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria] who presented osteonecrosis were included in this study. SLE patients with no symptomatic osteonecrosis constituted the control group. Osteonecrosis was confirmed by radiographic evaluation, bone scintigraphy and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The study group was constituted by 14 SLE patients with osteonecrosis (10 women and 4 men, 64% of them white, 33±13 years old and 120±67 months of disease duration). Sex and time of SLE diagnosis matched patients without osteonecrosis constituted the control group (n=14, 57% of them white, 33±7 years old and 111±54 months of SLE). Systemic lupus international collaborating clinics/ACR damage index for SLE (SLICC/ACR-DI) score was higher in patients with osteonecrosis (4±1) compared with control group (1±1) [p<0.001]. Patients with osteonecrosis had higher number of other musculoskeletal irreversible damage when compared with the control group (29% versus 0, respectively; p=0.034). Digital vasculitis was the variable associated with osteonecrosis (p=0.021). There was no significant association between duration of prednisone use or prednisone cumulative dose and osteonecrosis in patients with regular follow-up at the Institution (p=0.624 and p = 0.806, respectively). Conclusions: Previous history of digital vasculitis was a risk factor for the development of osteonecrosis. Patients with digital vasculitis history had 9 times more risk to present osteonecrosis than patients without previous vasculitis

irreversible lesions were found in 72% of SLE patients with more than five years of disease. The more prevalent lesions were cardiovascular, dermatological, musculoskeletal and gonadal. The cumulative dose of prednisone showed significant association with presence of damage, suggesting the importance of spare steroid strategies.

Objetivo: avaliar as artérias coronárias por meio da cineangiocoronariografia de pacientes com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) e anormalidades de perfusão miocárdica. Métodos: participaram do estudo 90 pacientes do sexo feminino, idades entre 18 e 55 anos, com diagnóstico de LES há mais de cinco anos, sem antecedentes pessoais de doença arterial coronária (DAC) manifesta e em uso atual ou pregresso de corticosteróide por, pelo menos, um ano. A cintilografia cardíaca, com aquisição de imagens tomográficas utilizando Tecnécio 99m-sestamibi, foi executada nas fases de repouso e de estresse induzido por dipiridamol. Os fatores de risco (FR) considerados foram os tradicionais para DAC e os relacionados ao LES. As pacientes com alterações cintilográficas foram convidadas a submeterem-se à cineangiocoronariografia. Resultados: as pacientes apresentaram média de idade de 38 ± 10 anos, diagnóstico de LES há 128 ± 59 meses, número de critérios do American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 7 ± 1, escores do Disease Activity Index for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE-DAI) 6 ± 5 e do Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index for SLE (SLICC/ACR-DI) 2 ± 2. Anormalidades de perfusão miocárdica foram observadas em 33% das pacientes. A análise de regressão logística considerando-se os FR-DAC tradicionais e as variáveis relacionadas ao LES foi realizada com 48 pacientes em seguimento regular. Vasculite atual foi associada à anormalidade de perfusão miocárdica. Não houve associação entre outras manifestações clínicas e/ou sorológicas de LES, dose cumulativa ou tempo de uso de prednisona e o resultado da cintilografia miocárdica. Vinte e uma pacientes com alterações cintilográficas foram submetidas à cineangiocoronariografia. Placas ateroscleróticas em artérias coronárias foram observadas em 8 pacientes (38%). O subgrupo das pacientes com cateterismo