Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Overview
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy tissues, leading to widespread inflammation and damage throughout the body. SLE can affect many organs and systems, including the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, blood cells, and blood vessels. Symptoms and severity vary widely between individuals, ranging from mild flare-ups to serious complications such as lupus nephritis, cardiovascular disease, neurological involvement, and blood-clotting disorders.
Common Symptoms
Skin rashes, fatigue, low fevers, pain or swelling of the joints, lung problems, kidney problems, and heart problems.
Coexisting Diseases and Conditions
Lupus nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, vascular disease, Graves’ disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Risk Factors and Prevalence
SLE has a greater risk of occurring in females, with a 9:1 female to male ratio of disease incidence. Age is another risk factor, with diagnosis most commonly occurring between the ages of 15 and 44. Studies have also shown a greater prevalence of SLE among Blacks, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian populations.
Recent Research
- A qualitative study of facilitators of medication adherence in systemic lupus erythematosus: Perspectives from rheumatology providers/staff and patients (2024)
- [Mental disorders in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: association with activity and the course of rheumatic disease] (2023)
- Physiopathology of pain in systemic erythematosus lupus (2020)
- Severe hydralazine-induced lupus presenting as systemic lupus erythematosus (2020)
- Tumid lupus erythematosus and systemic lupus erythematosus: A report on their rare coexistence (2020)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus-related acute pancreatitis (2020)
Sources
- Article Sources
Barbhaiya, M., Feldman, C. H., Guan, H., Gómez-Puerta, J. A., Fischer, M. A., Solomon, D. H., Everett, B., & Costenbader, K. H. (2017). Race/Ethnicity and Cardiovascular Events Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 69(9), 1823–1831. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.40174.
Rose, N. R., & Mackay, I. R. (2020). The Autoimmune Diseases (6th ed., pp. 1086-1087). Academic Press.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) | CDC. (2018, October 18). https://www.cdc.gov/lupus/facts/detailed.html.
Weckerle, C. E., & Niewold, T. B. (2011). The Unexplained Female Predominance of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Clues from Genetic and Cytokine Studies. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology, 40(1), 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-009-8192-4.