Abstract
Patients with SLE are at increased risk for premature atherosclerosis. Dyslipoproteinemia, an etiologic factor, has been demonstrated in adult SLE patients, although the relationships of disease activity, diet and steroid therapy are obscure. To differentiate the roles of steroid therapy and active disease in the dyslipoproteinemia of pediatric SLE, we measured fasting lipid profiles in 7 newly diagnosed, untreated patients and repeated these studies in 5 after high dose steroid therapy, coincident with clinical improvement. Values for total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), very low, low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C, LDL-C, HDL-C), apoproteins A-I (apoA-I) and B (apoB) are shown in mg/dl for the patients and adolescent controls (*p<.05 vs. controls) (#p<.05 pre vs. post treatment).
At diagnosis, patients exhibited low plasma HDL-C and apoA-1 with elevated plasma VLDL-C and TG. This pattern can be explained by decreased lipoprotein lipase activity. After steroid treatment, LDL-C, HDL-C, VLDL-C and apoA-1 increase. Thus, dyslipoproteinemia in pediatric SLE can be attributed to active disease, independent of corticosteroid therapy. The relative roles of the dyslipoproteinemias of active disease and steroid therapy in the premature atherosclerosis of SLE remains to be determined.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ilowite, N., Samuel, P. & Jacobson, M. DYSLIPOPROTEINEMIA IN PEDIATRIC SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 312 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00870
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00870