Systemic lupus erythematosus and acute cerebral circulatory disorders

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Cardiovascular disease is a common complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Acute cerebral circulatory disorders in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus may present as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, or as cerebral venous thrombosis. The pathophysiologic mechanisms depending on the type of acute cerebral circulation disorder are different and have their own peculiarities. In systemic lupus erythematosus, ischemic stroke occurs by several different mechanisms, including cardioembolism, stenosis of large arteries of nonatherosclerotic or atherosclerotic etiology, arterial dissection, hypercoagulable states, and others. Along with major population-wide risk factors for stroke, kidney damage in systemic lupus erythematosus may increase the risk of stroke. Stroke is one of the causes of death among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

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