SY 11-4 CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Connective tissue diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma, have a strong predilection for women and are associated with a marked increase in the prevalence of hypertension. The mechanisms leading to the increased risk of hypertension in these patients remain unclear; however, they are likely related to immune mediated changes in cardiovascular and renal function. Over the past several years, we have elucidated a number of factors that contribute to the development of hypertension during SLE using a widely established experimental model of SLE, the female NZBWF1 mouse. These factors include impaired systemic vascular function, altered renal hemodynamics, and increased oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Recent work from our laboratory has focused on identifying fundamental immunological changes during SLE that ultimately lead to increased cardiovascular risk. This presentation will review clinical and basic evidence for the risk of hypertension during connective tissue diseases and provide experimental evidence that autoantibodies have a central mechanistic role in the pathogenesis of hypertension associated with SLE.