An echocardiographic study of valvular heart disease associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

Heart valve disease appears to be common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and can be a leading cause of death. This was demonstrated in a study of 69 people with systemic lupus erythematosus and 56 healthy volunteers. Echocardiograms revealed that 61% of the lupus patients had heart valve disease compared to only 9% of the healthy participants. The valve disease sometimes resolved and was not always associated with a worsening of lupus. Seven lupus patients died during the study, six of some type of heart disease.