Age

Smoking

Hypertension

Diabetes mellitus

Dyslipidaemia

( total and LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol)

Obesity

Antiphospholipid antibodies

Anti-oxidized LDL antibodies

Lipid peroxidation

Hyperhomocysteinaemia

Cumulative SLE disease activity

Chronic renal insufficiency

Verrucous endocarditis

Mannose binding lectin gene polymorphism

High sensitivity C-reactive protein

Cytokines and other immunological mechanisms (TNF , IL-6, IL-10, endothelial cell apoptosis, anti-apoA1, anti-lipoprotein lipase)

Medications (corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, selective Cox II inhibitors, hormonal replacement therapy)