Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in remission for five or more years are at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those with shorter remission times or who fail to enter remission, a retrospective study reports.

The study, “Prolonged remission is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale) study,” was published in Clinical Rheumatology.

Prolonged remission — defined as five consecutive years with no disease activity — is usually associated with lesser tissue and organ damage.

Investigators analyzed clinical records from 294 SLE patients, followed for at least five years and a mean of nine years, who had not experienced any symptoms of CVD at the time they entered the study.

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