Joan Von Feldt, MD

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Clinical Trials Initiative Grant

2002 Cardiovascular System
2002 Biomarkers

Reducing the risk of heart disease is crucial but challenging in people with lupus, not only because the drugs are expensive and have side effects, but because it is difficult to identify who is at risk for developing dangerous deposits of hardened plaques in the coronary arteries.

A non-invasive method, electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), detects plaques on the walls of arteries of the heart by measuring calcium deposits. This novel method has not yet been tested for its ability to identify lupus patients at high risk for serious heart disease.

With her Clinical Trials Initiative Grant from the LRI, Dr. Von Feldt confirmed that EBCT is effective in screening lupus patients to determine the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.  Her work has also identified that homocysteine levels in people with lupus can be used as a biomarker of atherosclerotic disease.

Specifically, she found that one-third of the 150 participants with lupus in had abnormal coronary artery calcification compared to less than 10 percent in age-, gender-, and race-matched controls. Also notable: in those with lupus, homocysteine was an important marker of atherosclerosis. EBCT offers a chance to intervene early, and to reduce treatment testing time from years to months.

Select publications:

Homocysteine levels and disease duration independently correlate with coronary artery calcification in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Von Feldt JM, Scalzi LV, Cucchiara AJ, Morthala S, Kealey C, Flagg SD, Genin A, Van Dyke AL, Nackos E, Chander A, Gehrie E, Cron RQ, Whitehead AS. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Jul;54(7):2220-7.

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