Plasma osteopontin versus intima media thickness of the common carotid arteries in well-characterised patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Objective: The progress of accelerated atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is incompletely understood. Circulating osteopontin (OPN) is increased in autoimmune conditions, e.g. SLE, and its serum concentration wasrecently reported to associate with subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE, as measured by carotid intima-media thickness.The aim of this study was to investigate whether OP