LBA:01:09 Mediterranean diet and systemic lupus erythematosus: impact on disease severity and cardiovascular risk

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between mediterranean diet (MD) adherence and others lifestyle factors with disease-related variables and cardiovascular (CV) risk profile in a cohort of SLE patients.Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 79 SLE patients followed at the Rheumatology Unit of Padua. MD adherence was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), and analysed both as a dichotomous (MEDAS score >/= 8) and as a variable categorical variable: low adherence (/= 10). Disease course and overall severity were classified according to validated definitions. Clinical activity, damage indices, pharmacological treatments, cumulative corticosteroid dose, CV risk factors, and CV events (MACE and non-MACE) were collected. Appropriate univariate tests were applied, and ordinal logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between MD adherence and disease severity. Multivariate logistic regression assessed associations with CV events.Results Most patients were female (91.2%), with a median age of 49.5 years and long disease duration. Moderate or optimal MD adherence was observed in 96.2% of patients. Higher MD adherence was significantly associated with lower overall disease severity (linear-by-linear x 2 = 7.27, p = 0.007). Persistently active disease was associated with a higher frequency of CV events (Pearson x2 = 12.33, p = 0.023). Trends toward associations between higher MD adherence and lower cumulative corticosteroid dose, and between dyslipidaemia and higher disease severity, did not reach statistical significance. Ordinal logistic regression confirmed an independent protective effect of MD adherence on disease severity after adjustment for hydroxychloroquine use and cumulative corticosteroid dose (p = 0.054 and p = 0.059, respectively). No independent association was found between MD adherence and CV events.Abstract LBA:01:09 Figure 1Conclusions In this cohort of adult SLE patients, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was independently associated with lower overall disease severity. No protective effect on CV events was observed, likely due to the limited number of events. Larger studies are needed to clarify the impact of diet on cardiovascular risk in SLE.