Objective. To identify the frequency and character of cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to examine the risk factors for their development.

Materials and methods. The database of SLE was looked through to determine the frequency of cardiovascular events among the patients with the following case control study being designed. Seventy two patients formed the case control study out of which 27 had a cardiovascular event in the past and 45 were controls without the event matching the control by disease duration.

Results. Since 2003 year 175 patients were diagnosed with SLE and treated at tertiary rheumatology center. Twenty seven out of them have experienced the cardiovascular events and some of them for several times. In total 37 cardiovascular events were diagnosed. Angina pectoris was the most common event. Patients with cardiovascular events were older at the time of the event, more likely to have higher platelet counts in the blood, lower hemoglobin and less disease activity index score compared to controls. Cases were also more likely to have taken higher doses of corticosteroids [17.8(11.5) vs 12.9(8.0)] and higher white blood cell count in the blood [7.54(3.53 vs 5.44(2.71)]. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, only leucocytosis was significant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular events. The other two factors: age and the use of higher steroid doses have drawn near but havn’t crossed the level of statistical significance.

This research was funded by a grant (No. MIP – 83/2010) from the Research Council of Lithuania.