Cardiovascular Risk and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases: A Detailed Review

Abstract

An autoimmune disease (AD) affects multiple organs or systems and significantly impacts quality of life. Genes and epigenetics, gender disparity, environmental triggers, pathophysiological abnormalities, and subphenotypes are all factors contributing to these conditions. In the past, it was believed that atherosclerosis (AT) was an inevitable consequence of aging. Researchers have found that AT is neither degenerative nor irreversible. It is an autoimmune-inflammatory disease that leads to smooth muscle cell proliferation, narrowing of arteries, and atheroma formation due to infectious and inflammatory factors. The humoral and cellular immune systems are thought to contribute to the onset and progression of AT. There are a number of classic risk factors that have been identified. In patients with ADs, it is interesting to note that these factors do not fully explain excessive cardiovascular (CV) events. The risk factors for premature vascular damage are numerous. In this review, we discuss traditional and nontraditional risk factors for CV disease (CVD) in AD.