Jung JY, et al. - Risk factors associated with progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were investigated via assessing carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque using Doppler ultrasonography in 61 Korean women with SLE who were enrolled in the previous study 4 years ago. The patients had a mean cIMT of 0.39 ± 0.09 mm; carotid plaques were observed in 11 patients, which was similar to the results of the previous study. An increase in cIMT was observed in 21 patients, and seven patients showed the development of new carotid plaque. Multivariate regression analysis revealed an association of low BMI and the 4-year cumulative glucocorticoid dose with the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis.