Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Its Impact on Selected Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Correlation with Duration of Illness: A Pilot Study

Table 5

Comparison between corticosteroids usage and other therapeutic strategies in the study group.

Comparison with corticosteroids usage	Other drugs	GCS used (<7.50 mg/day)	value
LVEF (%)	53.95 ± 6.83	54.47 ± 6.25	0.9766
IMT AVG (mm)	1.17 ± 0.24	1.21 ± 0.25	0.7802
BMI (kg/m^2)	26.21 ± 3.81	27.11 ± 5.55	0.9532
SLEDAI-2K	7.43 ± 6.10	6.00 ± 4.62	0.6281
QRISK®3 (%)	11.73 ± 9.70	20.73 ± 15.63	0.0267
TC (mg/dl)	187.18 ± 38.47	226.62 ± 49.76	0.0272
HDL (mg/dl)	57.72 ± 18.09	72.75 ± 16.58	0.0238
LDL (mg/dl)	114.45 ± 50.93	122.85 ± 34.74	0.3789
TG (mg/dl)	115.79 ± 37.87	112.04 ± 34.56	0.8149

LVEF : left ventricular ejection fraction; IMT AVG : carotid intima-media complex thickness average values, BMI : body mass index; SLEDAI-2K : Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; QRISK®3: cardiovascular event risk calculator; TC : total cholesterol; HDL: high-density cholesterol; LDL: low-density cholesterol; TG: triglycerides. Source: own studies.