Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder that commonly affects the heart. The impact of SLE on the heart is a 7-9 times greater incidence of cardiovascular disease(CVD) in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, female patients with SLE between 35 and 44 years old have an incidence of myocardial infarction over 50 times greater than that observed in the Framingham cohort. The exact cause of this excess CVD burden in SLE is poorly understood,

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... but is thought to be multi-factorial. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has the capacity of simultaneously assessing non-invasively cardiac function, altered vascular distensibility, myocardial strain and fibrosis. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess cardiac and vascular function and myocardial strain in patients with SLE and to determine their relation to the presence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and SLE disease duration.