In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiovascular disease is a significant source of morbidity and death. Nondipping and hypertension (HTN) are cardiovascular disease risk factors that can be changed. In addition, there is research on childhood-onset SLE (cSLE). In cSLE patients with normal office blood pressure, researchers sought to evaluate the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) trend.
The single-center cross-sectional research included 25 patients with cSLE, normal office blood pressure, and normal renal function. To evaluate end-organ damage, they used echocardiography and 24-hour ABPM. Descriptive statistics were produced to find possible risk factors for non-dipping, and variables were compared using Fisher exact test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test.
The median age of the 25 patients was 18 (interquartile range, 16–20 years), and 22 were female. Eighteen individuals had a history of lupus nephritis (LN), with a median SLE duration of 4.2 years (interquartile range, 2.9–8.1 years). HTN was covered up by 4 patients, 3 of whom had LN. Fourteen patients (56%) did not dip. Patients without LN (71%) exhibited non dipping profiles in the majority. For 15 patients, echocardiography was performed. All patients had a normal left ventricular mass index, relative wall thickness, and ejection percent. Five individuals had their treatment modified due to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data.
The findings showed that patients with cSLE, especially those without LN, have a significant frequency of non dipping and disguised HTN. Therefore, finding ABPM anomalies in these individuals may lead to better results.
