CORRELATIONS BETWEEN NON INVASIVE RENAL INDEX AND MARKERS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN LUPUS PATIENTS.

Objective: Recent data suggest that renal haemodynamic parameters obtained by duplex Doppler sonography, especially the intrarenal resistive index (RI), may be associated with systemic vascular changes in some groups of patients. However, conflicting data exist about the relationship between aortic stiffness and RI in autoimmune disease, like systemic lupus The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between RI and arterial stiffness, assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), and carotid atherosclerosis, evaluated by intimal medial thickness measurement(IMT) in patients with SLE. Design and method: Cross-sectional study. We enrolled 39 SLE subjects (mean age 39 years). Each patient underwent assessment of ultrasonographic renal RI, IP, measurement of aPWV through oscillometric device, and ultrasound evaluation of carotid IMT. Results: IR correlated significantly with aortic PWV(r: 0,44; p = 0.006), and with carotid IMT (r: 0,46; p = 0.003) in the study population. Conclusions: Our results seems to suggest that, as previously demonstrated in other populations, the RI may be considered as a marker of systemic vascular changes and probably a predictor of cardiovascular risk also in SLE patients.