Evidence of reduced plasma HDL subfractions in patients with cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dyslipidemic profile of patients with Cutaneous Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) with particular emphasis on the levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol and its subfractions, HDL2 and HDL3. Design and method: The study involved characterization of the lipid profile of 30 patients with diagnosed DLE (11 male and 19 female) and 34 age- and BMI-matched healthy individuals. Results: Patients with DLE presented increased serum cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-Cholesterol levels (P< 0.001, respectively) compared to the control group, while the levels of HDL-Cholesterol (P< 0.001), as well as its subfractions, HDL2 (P< 0.001) and HDL3 (P< 0.02) were markedly decreased. In addition, the ratio of CHOL/HDL was increased in patients with DLE (P< 0.001), whereas a reduction was observed in the ratio of HDL2/HDL3 (P< 0.001) in the same group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that patients with cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus have an increased risk of atherosclerosis due to the marked dyslipidemia associated with the disease. The reduced levels of HDL subfractions, HDL2 and HDL3, are believed to contribute to the dyslipidemic profile and further provide an important target for therapeutic intervention.