If these findings are verified in future research, the PREDICTS score could help clinicians identify which SLE patients are at high risk for atherosclerosis and, by implication, cardiovascular events, Dr. McMahon and her associates said.
"Although we have examined multiple biomarkers for atherosclerosis and SLE in this study and previously, our study was not exhaustive. It is likely that other, additional biomarkers have been or will be identified as promising candidates" to include in the PREDICTS scale, they added.
This study was supported by the Lupus Research Institute, the Alliance for Lupus Research, the American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Foundation, the Arthritis National Research Foundation, and a Kirkland Award.