Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and concomitant depression have an increased risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis, as measured by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), but not by carotid plaque, a recent study found. The data suggest that depression, a potentially modifiable risk factor, may contribute to the increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in women with SLE. In this prospective case-control study, researchers followed 149 participants with SLE and 126 controls over 5 years. They found:

• The SLE group had a higher rate of depression: 29% compared with 11% in the control group.
• When controlling for traditional CVD risk factors, the presence of baseline depression correlated with increased progression of CIMT in the SLE group, but not in the control group.
• There was no association between depression and carotid plaque in either group, with a calculated odds ratio for plaque progression in the depressed SLE group of 1.118 in the adjusted model.