Differences in Autoantibody Profiles and Disease Activity and Damage Scores Between Childhood- and Adult-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Meta-Analysis

IgE autoantibodies to nuclear antigens in patients with different connective tissue diseases: re-evaluation and novel findings

Introduction

Connective tissue diseases (CTD) are characterised by the overproduction of multiple autoantibodies, especially antinuclear antibodies (ANA) of the IgG type. Meanwhile, also IgE autoantibodies have been described. The aim was therefore, to establish an ELISA for the demonstration of IgE autoantibodies to SSA/Ro, SSB/La, RNP proteins and dsDNA in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjoegren's syndrome (SS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) to investigate their frequency and clinical relevance.

Methods

Serum samples from 110 patients with SLE, 118 patients with SS, 41 patients with MCTD, and 73 controls were analysed by ELISA for IgE autoantibodies against dsDNA, SSA/Ro52, and SSA/Ro60, SSB/La, and RNP proteins using recombinant antigens. Patients were assessed for different clinical manifestations.

Results

In SLE and SS, IgE anti-SSA/Ro52-, -SSA/Ro60- and -SSB/La-antibodies showed a significantly higher reactivity than in controls. IgE anti-dsDNA-antibodies were present in 66% of SLE patients. In SLE, there was a correlation of IgE anti-dsDNA- and -anti-SSA/Ro52-antibodies with disease activity and cutaneous manifestation. Neither IgE anti-SSA/Ro- nor -anti-SSB/La-antibodies were associated with distinct clinical manifestations in SS. Also, anti-RNP-antibodies were found to be of the IgE type (up to 90% in MCTD and 70% in SLE). In MCTD, IgE anti-Sm/RNPB- and -anti-RNP68-antibodies correlated with pulmonary manifestations. IgE anti-dsDNA- but not the other IgE autoantibodies decreased under immunosuppressive therapy.

Conclusion

IgE anti-SSA/Ro-, -SSB/La-, -RNP-, and -dsDNA antibodies show a high frequency and specificity for the prevailing CTD. We confirmed an association of anti-dsDNA and anti-SSA/Ro52 antibodies with disease activity in SLE. In MCTD, there was an association of anti-Sm/RNP B and -RNP68 antibodies with pulmonary disorder.

Disease features at diagnosis and changes in disease course severity among commercially insured patients with childhood-onset compared with adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

INTRODUCTION

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) causes widespread inflammation and damage in affected organs. Severity is determined by the type of organ systems affected and the extent of involvement. SLE occurs in childhood or adulthood and disease severity varies according to age of onset. We compared disease features and changes in disease severity over time between childhood-onset (cSLE) and adult-onset SLE (aSLE).

METHODS

Patients 0-64 years old, newly diagnosed with SLE during 2014-2020 were identified using the MarketScan® database. A validated algorithm was used to assess disease severity. Improving severity versus baseline was defined as a transition from a higher (severe) to a lower (mild/moderate) disease state during each evaluation period. Group comparisons were made using the Pearson chi-square test for categorical and t test for continuous measures.

RESULTS

A total of 10,912 patients were included. Most (89.9%) were female with a mean age of 14.2 versus 44.6 years for cSLE and aSLE groups, respectively. Patients with cSLE were more likely to have severe disease at diagnosis (38.3% vs 10.7%; p < .0001) versus aSLE. The largest reduction in SLE severity occurred during 6 to <12 months post-index with cSLE experiencing the greatest improvement (36.7% vs 19.9%; p < .0001) compared with aSLE. However, despite improvements observed over time in cSLE, this group was still more likely to have severe disease at 0 to <6 months (26.4% vs 10.5%) and 6 to <12 months (14.4% vs 8.6%) post-index compared with aSLE patients (p < .01, all). For aSLE, the proportions of patients experiencing either an improvement or deterioration in symptoms was similar during 0 to <6 months and 6 to <12 months. However, during 12 to <24 months, nearly twice as many patients in this group experienced a deterioration in symptoms (30.1%) compared to improvement (15.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with SLE present with greater symptom severity compared with adults. Although children were more likely to experience improvements following treatment, they had more active disease over time than aSLE patients. Disease severity remained stable for aSLE patients until the second year of follow-up, when more patients experienced a deterioration rather than improvement in symptoms.

Type I interferon and mitochondrial dysfunction are associated with dysregulated cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is an autoimmune condition which causes significant morbidity in children and young adults and is more severe in its presentation than adult-onset SLE. While many aspects of immune dysfunction have been studied extensively in adult-onset SLE, there is limited and contradictory evidence of how cytotoxic CD8+ T cells contribute to disease pathogenesis and studies exploring cytotoxicity in JSLE are virtually non-existent. Here, we report that CD8+ T cell cytotoxic capacity is reduced in JSLE versus healthy controls, irrespective of treatment or disease activity. Transcriptomic and serum metabolomic analysis identified that this reduction in cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in JSLE was associated with upregulated type I interferon (IFN) signalling, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolic disturbances when compared to controls. Greater interrogation of the influence of these pathways on altered cytotoxic CD8+ T cell function demonstrated that JSLE CD8+ T cells had enlarged mitochondria and enhanced sensitivity to IFN-α leading to selective apoptosis of effector memory (EM) CD8+ T cells, which are enriched for cytotoxic mediator-expressing cells. This process ultimately contributes to the observed reduction in CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity in JSLE, reinforcing the growing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is a key pathogenic factor affecting multiple immune cell populations in type I IFN-driven rheumatic diseases.

Extrapolation of the Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Belimumab to Support its Use in Children with Lupus Nephritis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Lupus nephritis (LN), a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, has greater severity in children versus adults. Belimumab is approved for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment in patients aged ≥ 5 years, and for active LN in adults in the European Union, China, Japan and Latin America, and patients aged ≥ 5 years in the USA. Low prevalence of paediatric active LN makes conducting a clinical study within a reasonable period unfeasible. We describe a model-based extrapolation of belimumab efficacy and pharmacokinetics from adults to children with LN to support US Food and Drug Administration approval of intravenous belimumab 10 mg/kg (administered every 4 weeks after the loading dose) in children (aged 5-17 years) with active LN.

METHODS

This concept assumed that disease progression, response to belimumab, exposure-response, and the target belimumab exposure for efficacy are similar across adult and paediatric systemic lupus erythematosus and LN, evaluated against the published literature for paediatric LN and belimumab systemic lupus erythematosus and LN clinical trial data in adults and children. A two-compartmental population pharmacokinetic model, previously developed for adults with LN, was used to extrapolate belimumab pharmacokinetics to children with LN.

RESULTS

The model captured the dependence of time-varying proteinuria on belimumab clearance, and therefore exposure. Sufficient target exposures for efficacy were achieved in children with active LN. A small proportion of children aged 5-11 years are predicted to have exposures below adult levels but no impact to efficacy is expected.

CONCLUSIONS

Our model demonstrated that intravenous belimumab 10 mg/kg every 4 weeks is appropriate for children aged 5-17 years with active LN.

Management of Patients Receiving Anticoagulation Therapy in Dental Practice: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Anticoagulant drugs are a valuable tool for minimizing thrombotic risks in at-risk patients. The purpose of this study is to conduct a literature review highlighting the management of these drugs during daily clinical dental practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We limited our search to English-language papers published between 1 January 1989, and 7 March 2024, in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science that were relevant to our topic. In the search approach, the Boolean keywords "anticoagulant AND dentistry" were used.

RESULTS

Twenty-five clinical trials were included for final review from 623 articles obtained from the databases Web of Science (83), PubMed (382), and Scopus (158), eliminating duplicates and 79 off-topic items, resulting in 419 articles after removing 315 entries and confirming eligibility. Overall, these studies support the use of local hemostatic measures to manage the risk of bleeding in patients on anticoagulant therapy undergoing dental procedures and highlight the importance of greater education and collaboration among healthcare professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

Research and clinical investigation have improved understanding and management of dental procedures in patients undergoing anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy. Hemostatic agents, clinical protocols, risk factors, and continuous education are essential for navigating the complexities of anticoagulant therapy, ensuring optimal outcomes and enhancing patient well-being.

Utility of the 2018 revised ISN/RPS thresholds for glomerular crescents in childhood-onset lupus nephritis: a Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium study

BACKGROUND

The revised 2018 ISN/RPS Classification System for lupus nephritis (LN) includes calculations for both activity index (A.I.) and chronicity index (C.I.). Unchanged were the thresholds of < 25%, 25-50%, and > 50% crescents to distinguish between mild, moderate, and severe activity/chronicity. We aimed to evaluate these thresholds for percent crescents in childhood-onset LN.

METHODS

Eighty-six subjects < 21 years of age were enrolled from the Pediatric Glomerulonephritis with Crescents Registry, a retrospective multi-center cohort sponsored by the Pediatric Nephrology Research Consortium. Thresholds of 10%, 25%, and 50% for both cellular/fibrocellular and fibrous crescents were interrogated for primary outcomes of kidney failure, eGFR, and eGFR slope.

RESULTS

Median age at time of initial biopsy was 14 years (range 1-21). Median follow-up time was 3 years (range 1-11). Cumulative incidence of kidney failure was 6% at 1 year and 10% at latest follow-up. Median eGFR slope was - 18 mL/1.73 m²/min (IQR - 51 to + 8) at 1 year and - 3 mL/min/1.73 m²/year (IQR - 19 to + 6) at latest follow-up. We found no difference in kidney failure at the proposed < 25% and 25-50% cellular crescents thresholds, and thus added a new provisional threshold of 10% that better predicted outcomes in children. Moreover, use of 10% and 25% thresholds for fibrous crescents showed a fourfold and sevenfold increase in risk of kidney failure.

CONCLUSIONS

In children with crescentic LN, use of 10% and 25% thresholds for cellular crescents better reflects disease activity, while these thresholds for fibrous crescents better discriminates kidney disease outcomes. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

CD8+ T Cell Phenotype and Function in Childhood and Adult-Onset Connective Tissue Disease

CD8+ T cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that destroy pathogen infected and malignant cells through release of cytolytic molecules and proinflammatory cytokines. Although the role of CD8+ T cells in connective tissue diseases (CTDs) has not been explored as thoroughly as that of other immune cells, research focusing on this key component of the immune system has recently gained momentum. Aberrations in cytotoxic cell function may have implications in triggering autoimmunity and may promote tissue damage leading to exacerbation of disease. In this comprehensive review of current literature, we examine the role of CD8+ T cells in systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, and dermatomyositis with specific focus on comparing what is known about CD8+ T cell peripheral blood phenotypes, CD8+ T cell function, and CD8+ T cell organ-specific profiles in adult and juvenile forms of these disorders. Although, the precise role of CD8+ T cells in the initiation of autoimmunity and disease progression remains to be elucidated, increasing evidence indicates that CD8+ T cells are emerging as an attractive target for therapy in CTDs.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

Neuropsychiatric manifestations occur frequently and are challenging to diagnose in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Most patients with childhood-onset SLE have neuropsychiatric events in the first 2 years of disease. 30-70% of patients present with more than one neuropsychiatric event during their disease course, with an average of 2-3 events per person. These symptoms are associated with disability and mortality. Serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and neuroimaging findings have been described in childhood-onset SLE; however, only a few have been validated as biomarkers for diagnosis, monitoring response to treatment, or prognosis. The aim of this Review is to describe the genetic risk, clinical and neuroimaging characteristics, and current treatment strategies of neuropsychiatric manifestations in childhood-onset SLE.

Temporal reproducibility of IgG and IgM autoantibodies in serum from healthy women

Autoantibodies are present in healthy individuals and altered in chronic diseases. We used repeated samples collected from participants in the NYU Women's Health Study to assess autoantibody reproducibility and repertoire stability over a one-year period using the HuProt array. We included two samples collected one year apart from each of 46 healthy women (92 samples). We also included eight blinded replicate samples to assess laboratory reproducibility. A total of 21,211 IgG and IgM autoantibodies were interrogated. Of those, 86% of IgG (n = 18,303) and 34% of IgM (n = 7,242) autoantibodies showed adequate lab reproducibility (coefficient of variation [CV] < 20%). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were estimated to assess temporal reproducibility. A high proportion of both IgG and IgM autoantibodies with CV < 20% (76% and 98%, respectively) showed excellent temporal reproducibility (ICC > 0.8). Temporal reproducibility was lower after using quantile normalization suggesting that batch variability was not an important source of error, and that normalization removed some informative biological information. To our knowledge this study is the largest in terms of sample size and autoantibody numbers to assess autoantibody reproducibility in healthy women. The results suggest that for many autoantibodies a single measurement may be used to rank individuals in studies of autoantibodies as etiologic markers of disease.

Low disease activity state in juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVES

To determine the rate of achieving The Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) in children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for tracing pertinent treatment modalities.

METHODS

A total of 122 juvenile-onset SLE (jSLE) patients from six pediatric rheumatology centers in Turkey were enrolled in the study. LLDAS-50 was defined as encountering LLDAS for at least 50% of the observation time. According to the achievement of LLDAS-50, clinical features, immunological profiles, and treatments of patients with jSLE have been revealed.

RESULTS

LLDAS of any duration was achieved by 82% of the cohort. Although only 10.8% of the patients achieved remission, 68.9% reached LLDAS-50. A significant difference was found between patients who reached LLDAS-50 and those who did not, in terms of the time to reach low-dose corticosteroid treatment (p = 0.002), the presence of subacute cutaneous findings (p = 0.007), and the presence of proteinuria (p = 0.002). Both of the groups were under similar treatment approaches. However, the number of patients being treated with corticosteroids at the last visit was found to be significantly higher in patients who achieved LLDAS-50 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Targeting LLDAS in jSLE, even with long-term, low-dose corticosteroid use, seems to be an achievable goal in clinical practice.

Clinical and laboratory features, disease activity, and outcomes of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus at diagnosis: a single-center study from southern China

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective study aimed to analyze the clinical and laboratory features, disease activity, and outcomes of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) patients from southern China.

METHODS

A total of 173 jSLE patients who attended Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Meizhou People's Hospital between January 2010 and December 2019 are included for analysis.

RESULTS

The mean age of disease onset was 13.65 ± 2.80 (range, 5-17). The median age at diagnosis was 13.98 ± 2.88 (range, 5-17) years. The female to male ratio was 6.5:1. Renal involvement was the most prevalent clinical feature, occurred in 71.7% of the patients. A total of 27 (15.6%) patients underwent renal biopsy, and the most common type of renal pathology was class IV (44.4%). Our study demonstrated differences in antibody clusters for which the positivity rates of anti-dsDNA antibodies and anti-Sm antibodies were higher than the other jSLE cohorts reported in China and worldwide. Cyclophosphamide combined with corticosteroids was the main treatment medication. The mean SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score at diagnosis was 14.3 ± 7.6 (range, 3-38). Five patients died during the initial diagnosis and treatment. Infection was the major cause of death.

CONCLUSION

The jSLE patients in this cohort had a higher prevalence of renal involvement, anti-dsDNA antibodies, and anti-Sm antibodies. Multicenter studies are needed to clarify the different clinical features of jSLE in southern China.

KEY POINTS

• A single-center study of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus in clinical and laboratory features. • The jSLE patients had a higher prevalence of renal involvement and antibody disorder.

The Performances of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 Classification Criteria in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012, and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR 2019 SLE classification criteria are formed based on data mainly from adult patients. We aimed to test the performances of the SLE classification criteria among pediatric patients with SLE.

Methods.

Pediatric patients with SLE (n = 262; 80.9% female) were included from 3 different centers in Turkey. As controls, 174 children (60.9% female) with other diseases who had ANA (antinuclear antibody) test results were included. The gold standard for SLE diagnosis was expert opinion.

Results.

The sensitivities of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria were 68.7%, 95.4%, and 91.6%, respectively. The specificities of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria were 94.8%, 89.7%, and 88.5%, respectively. Eighteen patients with SLE met the SLICC 2012 but not the EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria. Among these, hematologic involvement was prominent (n = 13; 72.2%). Eight patients with SLE fulfilled the EULAR/ACR 2019 but not the SLICC 2012 criteria. Among these, joint involvement was prominent (n = 6; 75%).

Conclusion.

To our knowledge, this is the largest cohort study of pediatric SLE to test the performances of all 3 classification criteria. The SLICC 2012 criteria yielded the best sensitivity, whereas the ACR 1997 criteria had the best specificity. SLICC 2012 criteria performed better than EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria. Separation of different hematological manifestations in the SLICC 2012 criteria might have contributed to the higher performance of this criteria set.

Robust measurement of clinical improvement in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Objective

The severity and disease course of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) are highly variable. Consequently, outcome measures for CLE clinical improvement are heterogeneous, complicating treatment decisions and therapeutic development. This study characterises CLE outcome measures and identifies the influence of clinical improvement thresholds on strengths of associations with patient demographic and clinical factors.

Methods

In this pilot cohort study, multivariable models identified factors associated with CLE activity and skin damage improvement, defined as relative decreases in Cutaneous Lupus Activity and Severity Index (CLASI) activity (CLASI-A) and damage (CLASI-D) scores, over ranges of response thresholds.

Results

66 patients with 119 visit-pairs were included in the CLASI-A analysis. 74 patients with 177 visit-pairs were included in the CLASI-D analysis. Factors associated with CLE activity and damage improvement depended on the response threshold. Some associations were stronger at more stringent thresholds, including subacute CLE predominance with increased likelihood of CLASI-A improvement (R²=0.73; 50% reduction: OR 1.724 (95% CI 0.537 to 5.536); 75%: 5.67 (95% CI 1.56 to 20.5)) and African-American race with decreased likelihood of CLASI-D improvement (R²=0.80; 20%: 0.40 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.93); 40%: 0.25 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.82)). Other associations were stable across multiple thresholds, including older age of CLE development with increased likelihood of CLASI-A improvement (R²=0.25; 50%: 1.05 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.09]; 75%: 1.05 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.10)) and higher initial disease activity with decreased likelihood of CLASI-D improvement (R²=0.55; 20%: 0.91 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.98); 40%: 0.88 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.97)).

Conclusions

Examining a range of CLASI threshold outcomes can comprehensively characterise changes in disease course in patients with CLE. Insufficiently stringent thresholds may fail to distinguish meaningful clinical change from natural fluctuation in disease activity.

Measuring Disease Damage and Its Severity in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

To describe the frequency and types of disease damage occurring with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as measured by the 41-item Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI), and to assess the SDI's ability to reflect damage severity.

METHODS

Information for the SDI was prospectively collected from 1,048 childhood-onset SLE patients. For a subset of 559 patients, physician-rated damage severity measured by visual analog scale (MD VAS damage) was also available. Frequency of SDI items and the association between SDI summary scores and MD VAS damage were estimated. Finally, an international consensus conference, using nominal group technique, considered the SDI's capture of childhood-onset SLE-associated damage and its severity.

RESULTS

After a mean disease duration of 3.8 years, 44.2% of patients (463 of 1,048) already had an SDI summary score >0 (maximum 14). The most common SDI items scored were proteinuria, scarring alopecia, and cognitive impairment. Although there was a moderately strong association between SDI summary scores and MD VAS damage (Spearman's r = 0.49, P < 0.0001) in patients with damage (SDI summary score >0), mixed-effects analysis showed that only 4 SDI items, each occurring in <2% of patients overall, were significantly associated with MD VAS damage. There was consensus among childhood-onset SLE experts that the SDI in its current form is inadequate for estimating the severity of childhood-onset SLE-associated damage.

CONCLUSION

Disease damage as measured by the SDI is common in childhood-onset SLE, even with relatively short disease durations. Given the shortcomings of the SDI, there is a need to develop new tools to estimate the impact of childhood-onset SLE-associated damage.

A comparison between childhood and adult onset systemic lupus erythematosus adjusted for ethnicity from the 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus Cohort

OBJECTIVE

Childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) manifests differently than adult-onset SLE (aSLE). This study determined whether ethnic differences contribute to the differences in clinical presentation between the two groups.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from a multi-centred registry from eight adult and four paediatric Canadian centres gathered at study entry. We compared the frequency of clinical manifestations and autoantibodies between aSLE and cSLE. For those with a significant difference, a multivariable logistic regression was performed, adjusting for ethnicity, SLE onset (cSLE vs aSLE), disease duration and centre. Disease activity and damage between aSLE and cSLE were compared after stratifying by disease duration.

RESULTS

Of 552 aSLE subjects, 502 (90.9%) were female and 381 (69.0%) were Caucasian. Mean age at diagnosis was 37.0 ± 13.6 years and disease duration 10.9 ± 9.6 years. Of 276 cSLE subjects, 231 (83.7%) were female and 101 (36.6%) were Caucasian. Mean age at diagnosis was 12.7 ± 3.3 years and disease duration 5.6 ± 8.2 years. In multivariable regression analysis, aSLE was associated with decreased odds of having a neurologic disorder (odds ratio = 0.49) and increased odds of having aCL antibodies (odds ratio = 1.85). Disease activity and damage accrual scores were higher in aSLE than cSLE within the same disease duration strata, although the differences were not clinically significant. Ethnicity was not associated with any differences in clinical manifestations or autoantibody frequency between aSLE and cSLE.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a crude comparison of aSLE and cSLE yielded several differences in clinical symptoms and autoantibodies, this difference was not attributable to ethnic differences between aSLE and cSLE.

Urine biomarkers of chronic kidney damage and renal functional decline in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVES

To delineate urine biomarkers that reflect kidney structural damage and predict renal functional decline in pediatric lupus nephritis (LN).

METHODS

In this prospective study, we evaluated kidney biopsies and urine samples of 89 patients with pediatric LN. Urinary levels of 10 biomarkers [adiponectin, ceruloplasmin, kidney injury molecule-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, osteopontin, transforming growth factor-ß (TGFß), vitamin-D binding protein, liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP), and transferrin] were measured. Regression analysis was used to identify individual and combinations of biomarkers that determine LN damage status [NIH-chronicity index (NIH-CI) score ≤ 1 vs. ≥ 2] both individually and in combination, and biomarker levels were compared for patients with vs. without renal functional decline, i.e., a 20% reduction of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) within 12 months of a kidney biopsy.

RESULTS

Adiponectin, LFABP, and osteopontin levels differed significantly with select histological damage features considered in the NIH-CI. The GFR was associated with NIH-CI scores [Pearson correlation coefficient (r) = - 0.49; p < 0.0001] but not proteinuria (r = 0.20; p > 0.05). Similar to the GFR [area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.72; p < 0.01], combinations of osteopontin and adiponectin levels showed moderate accuracy [AUC = 0.75; p = 0.003] in discriminating patients by LN damage status. Renal functional decline occurred more commonly with continuously higher levels of the biomarkers, especially of TGFß, transferrin, and LFABP.

CONCLUSION

In combination, urinary levels of adiponectin and osteopontin predict chronic LN damage with similar accuracy as the GFR. Ongoing LN activity as reflected by high levels of LN activity biomarkers heralds renal functional decline.

KEY MESSAGES

• Levels of osteopontin and adiponectin measured at the time of kidney biopsy are good predictors of histological damage with lupus nephritis. • Only about 20% of children with substantial kidney damage from lupus nephritis will have an abnormally low urine creatinine clearance. • Continuously high levels of biomarkers reflecting lupus nephritis activity are risk factors of declining renal function.

Performance of Antinuclear Antibodies for Classifying Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Regression of Diagnostic Data

OBJECTIVE

To review the published literature on the performance of indirect immunofluorescence (IIF)-HEp-2 antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing for classification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted in the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for articles published between January 1990 and October 2015. The research question was structured according to Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) format rules, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations were followed where appropriate. Meta-regression analysis for diagnostic tests was performed, using the ANA titer as independent variable, while sensitivity and specificity were dependent variables.

RESULTS

Of 4,483 publications screened, 62 matched the eligibility criteria, and another 2 articles were identified through reference analysis. The included studies comprised 13,080 SLE patients in total, of whom 12,542 (95.9%) were reported to be IIF-ANA positive at various titers. For ANA at titers of 1:40, 1:80, 1:160, and 1:320, meta-regression gave sensitivity values of 98.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 97.6-99.0%), 97.8% (95% CI 96.8-98.5%), 95.8% (95% CI 94.1-97.1%), and 86.0% (95% CI 77.0-91.9%), respectively. The corresponding specificities were 66.9% (95% CI 57.8-74.9%), 74.7% (95% CI 66.7-81.3%), 86.2% (95% CI 80.4-90.5%), and 96.6% (95% CI 93.9-98.1%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The results of this systematic literature review and meta-regression confirm that IIF-ANAs have high sensitivity for SLE. ANAs at a titer of 1:80 have sufficiently high sensitivity to be considered as an entry criterion for SLE classification criteria, i.e., formally test other classification criteria for SLE only if ANAs of at least 1:80 have been found.

Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) - Pathophysiological concepts and treatment options

The systemic autoimmune/inflammatory condition systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) manifests before the age of 16 years in 10-20% of all cases. Clinical courses are more severe, and organ complications are more common in patients with juvenile SLE. Varying gender distribution in different age groups and increasing severity with younger age and the presence of monogenic disease in early childhood indicate distinct differences in the pathophysiology of juvenile versus adult-onset SLE. Regardless of these differences, classification criteria and treatment options are identical. In this article, we discuss age-specific pathomechanisms of juvenile-onset SLE, which are currently available and as future treatment options, and propose reclassification of different forms of SLE along the inflammatory spectrum from autoinflammation to autoimmunity.

Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment and Research Group Registry IX: Clinical Features and Survival of Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in China

Background:

Approximately 15–20% cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are diagnosed in children. There have been a few studies reporting the epidemiological data of pediatric-onset SLE (cSLE) in China, neither comparing the differences between cSLE and adult-onset SLE (aSLE). The aim of this study was to describe the impact of age of onset on clinical features and survival in cSLE patients in China based on the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research group (CSTAR) database.

Methods:

We made a prospective study of 225 cSLE patients (aged < 16 years) and 1759 patients aged 16–50 years based on CSTAR registry. We analyzed initial symptoms, clinical presentations, SLE disease activity, damages, and outcomes of cSLE, as well as compared with aSLE patients.

Results:

The mean age of cSLE patients was 12.16 ± 2.92 years, with 187 (83.1%) females. Fever (P < 0.001) as well as mucocutaneous (P < 0.001) and renal (P = 0.006) disorders were found to be significantly more frequent in cSLE patients as initial symptoms, while muscle and joint lesions were significantly less common compared to aSLE subjects (P < 0.001). The cSLE patients were found to present more frequently with malar rash (P = 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 0.624; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.470–0.829) but less frequently with arthritis (P < 0.001; OR, 2.013; 95% CI, 1.512–2.679) and serositis (P = 0.030; OR, 1.629; 95% CI, 1.053–2.520). There was no significant difference in SLE disease activity index scores between cSLE and aSLE groups (P = 0.478). Cox regression indicated that childhood onset was the risk factor for organ damage in lupus patients (hazard ratio 0.335 [0.170–0.658], P = 0.001). The survival curves between the cSLE and aSLE groups had no significant difference as determined by the log-rank test (0.557, P = 0.455).

Conclusions:

cSLE in China has different clinical features and more inflammation than aSLE patients. Damage may be less in children and there is no difference in 5- year survival between cSLE and aSLE groups.

Initial digital vasculitis in a large multicenter cohort of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVES

To assess clinical digital vasculitis (DV) as an initial manifestation of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) within a large population.

METHODS

Multicenter cross-sectional study including 852 cSLE patients (ACR criteria) followed in ten Pediatric Rheumatology centers in São Paulo State, Brazil.

RESULTS

DV was observed in 25/852 (3%) cSLE patients. Periungual hemorrhage was diagnosed in 12 (48%), periungual infarction in 7 (28%), tip finger ulceration in 4 (16%), painful nodules in 1 (4%) and gangrene in 1 (4%). A poor outcome, with digital resorption, occurred in 5 (20%). Comparison of patients with and without DV revealed higher frequency of malar rash (80% vs. 53%, p=0.008), discoid rash (16% vs. 4%, p=0.017), photosensitivity (76% vs. 45%, p=0.002) and other cutaneous vasculitides (80% vs. 19%, p<0.0001), whereas the frequency of overall constitutional features (32% vs. 61%, p=0.003), fever (32% vs. 56%, p=0.020) and hepatomegaly (4% vs. 23%, p=0.026) were lower in these patients. Frequency of female gender, severe multi-organ involvement, autoantibodies profile and low complement were alike in both groups (p>0.05). SLEDAI-2K median, DV descriptor excluded, was significantly lower in patients with DV compared to those without this manifestation [10 (0-28) vs. 14 (0-58), p=0.004]. Visceral vasculitis or death were not observed in this cSLE cohort. The frequency of cyclophosphamide use (0% vs. 18%, p=0.014) was significantly lower in the DV group.

CONCLUSION

Our large multicenter study identified clinical DV as one of the rare initial manifestation of active cSLE associated with a mild multisystemic disease, in spite of digital resorption in some of these patients.

Differences in clinical features observed between childhood-onset versus adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects people in childhood (childhood onset) or in adulthood (adult onset). Observational studies that have previously compared childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE were often restricted to 1 ethnic group, or to a particular area, with a small sample size of patients. We aimed to systematically compare childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE through a meta-analysis.

METHODS

Electronic databases were searched for relevant publications comparing childhood-onset with adult-onset SLE. Adverse clinical features were considered as the endpoints. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies and RevMan software (version 5.3) was used to carry out this analysis whereby risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used as the statistical parameters.

RESULTS

A total number of 10,261 participants (1560 participants with childhood-onset SLE and 8701 participants with adult-onset SLE) were enrolled. Results of this analysis showed that compared with childhood-onset SLE, pulmonary involvement was significantly higher with adult-onset SLE (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.18-1.93; P = .001), whereas renal involvement was significantly higher with childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.55-0.77; P = .00001). Raynaud phenomenon and photosensitivity were significantly higher in adult-onset SLE (RR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.04-1.60; P = .02) and (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01-1.17; P = .03), respectively. Malar rash significantly favored adult-onset SLE (RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75-0.94; P = .002). Childhood-onset SLE was associated with significantly higher hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and lymphopenia. Seizure and ocular manifestations were significantly higher with childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.47-0.70; P = .00001) and (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.55; P = .00001), respectively, whereas pleuritis was significantly higher with adult-onset SLE (RR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.79; P = .0008). Vasculitis and fever were significantly higher with childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74; P = .0004) and (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68-0.89; P = .0002) respectively.

CONCLUSION

Significant differences were observed between childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE, showing the former to be more aggressive.

Age of onset influences on clinical and laboratory profile of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The present study aims to evaluate differences in clinical and laboratory manifestations and medication use in the different ages of disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This cross-sectional study consisted of 598 SLE patients (550 female and 48 male), who attended the Rheumatology Clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre between 2003 and 2015. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. The patients were classified into three groups according to their ages at disease diagnosis. Mean age of diagnosis was 33.6 ± 14.3 years, and the median (25th-75th percentile) disease duration was 13 (7-20) years. Among the patients studied, 419 (70%) were adult-onset (aSLE), 90 (14.8%) were late-onset (lSLE) and 89 (14.8%) were childhood-onset (cSLE). The female to male ratio was higher in aSLE (18:1) compared to the other groups (p = 0.001). Arthritis was predominantly found in aSLE (78.5%) when compared with lSLE (57.7%) (p < 0.001). Nephritis was more common in cSLE (60.6%) than in lSLE (26.6%) (p < 0.001). Median (25th-75th percentile) of SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) was higher in the cSLE group [2 (0-5)] when compared to the lSLE group [0 (0-4)] (p = 0.045). Childhood-onset SLE showed a more severe disease due to the higher incidence of nephritis and needed a more aggressive treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.

Lupus nephritis in children - 10 years' experience

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in children is usually more severe than it is in adults and there is a higher incidence of renal involvement. We described 18 children (16 girls, 2 boys) with lupus nephritis (LN), whose average age was 14.4 ±1.81 years. Disease activity was assessed according to SLEDAI (SLE Disease Activity Index). Renal biopsy was classified according to the INS/RPS (International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society). The patients were treated with steroids (100%) and pulses of cyclophosphamide (88.9%) or mycophenolate mofetil (11.1%), next azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil with prednisone in reduced doses. In children with renal/multi-organ insufficiency and/or septicaemia, renal replacement therapy (27.8%), and plasmapheresis (22.2%) were used in the initial treatment. The SLEDAI initial activity was high in 44.4% and moderate in 55.6% of children. LN manifested as: nephrotic syndrome (83.3%), microhaematuria (100%), leukocyturia (60%), hypertension (72.2%), and acute renal injury (83.3%); mean GFR was 54.55 ±33.09 ml/min/1.73 m². In the renal biopsy, class IV LN according to INS/RPS was mainly diagnosed (82%). At the end of follow-up, mean observation time 32.1±23.36 months: mean GFR was 90.87 ±12.13 ml/min/1.73 m², proteinuria disappeared in 66.7% and decreased in 33.3% of children to the average of 1.7 g/day (range: 0.5-4.0 g/day), hypertension was observed in 83.4% of children. Intensive immunosuppressive treatment with pulses of cyclophosphamide in early stage of LN in children is very effective.

Lupus nephritis is associated with more corticosteroid-associated organ damage but less corticosteroid non-associated organ damage

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of lupus nephritis on organ damage and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

A total of 1112 patients with SLE were investigated. Lupus nephritis was defined as a proteinuria based on the 1997 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Damage was assessed using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index. The associations of lupus nephritis with overall, non-renal, corticosteroid-associated, and non-associated damage were analyzed using logistic regression. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted standardized mortality ratio was evaluated in patients with and without lupus nephritis.

Results

The prevalence of lupus nephritis in patients with SLE was 46.3%. Patients with lupus nephritis had a higher percentage of overall cumulative damage than patients without lupus nephritis (51.5% vs. 35.7%, p < 0.001). The odds ratio was 1.40 after adjusting for age at SLE diagnosis, sex, disease duration, anti-malarial agents, immunosuppressive agents and cumulative corticosteroid dose. Among non-renal damage, the odds of corticosteroid-associated damage were higher (2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43–2.96) whereas the odds of non-associated damage were lower (0.50, 95% CI 0.35–0.75) in patients with lupus nephritis. The standardized mortality ratios of patients with and without lupus nephritis were 5.17 (95% CI 3.49–7.38) and 2.32 (95% CI 1.47–3.48), respectively.

Conclusion

In patients with SLE, the presence of lupus nephritis is associated with increased corticosteroid-associated damage but less corticosteroid non-associated damage. Also, mortality is significantly higher in patients with lupus nephritis than in those without lupus nephritis.

Differences in Clinical Features and Mortality between Childhood-onset and Adult-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Prospective Single-center Study

OBJECTIVE

To compare clinical features and mortality between childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) and adult-onset SLE (aSLE) in a prospective single-center cohort.

METHODS

A total of 1112 patients with SLE (133 cSLE and 979 aSLE) were enrolled and followed from 1998 to 2012. The 2 groups were compared regarding American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for SLE, autoantibodies, disease activity measured by the Adjusted Mean SLE Disease Activity Index (AMS), damage measured by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index (SDI), and medication. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated. Predictors of mortality in SLE were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

After a mean followup of 7.6 years, patients with cSLE had a higher number of cumulative ACR criteria and a higher AMS (p < 0.001 each), but there was no difference in SDI (p = 0.797). Immunosuppressants were used more frequently by patients with cSLE (p < 0.001). The SMR of cSLE was 18.8 (95% CI 8.6-35.6), significantly higher than that of aSLE (2.9, 95% CI 2.1-3.9). We found cSLE to be an independent predictor of mortality (HR 3.6, p = 0.008). Moreover, presence of hemolytic anemia (7.2, p = 0.034) and antiphospholipid antibody (aPL; 3.8, p = 0.041) increased the magnitude of risk of early mortality more in the patients with cSLE than in those with aSLE.

CONCLUSION

The clinical course of cSLE as measured by number of clinical manifestations and disease activity is worse than that of aSLE. Also, cSLE patients with hemolytic anemia and aPL are at greater risk of death than patients with aSLE who have those features.

Self-reactive IgE exacerbates interferon responses associated with autoimmunity

Canonically, immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediates allergic immune responses by triggering mast cells and basophils to release histamine and type 2 helper cytokines. Here we found that in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), IgE antibodies specific for double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a type of cell of the immune system linked to viral defense, which led to the secretion of substantial amounts of interferon-α (IFN-α). The concentration of dsDNA-specific IgE found in patient serum correlated with disease severity and greatly potentiated pDC function by triggering phagocytosis via the high-affinity FcɛRI receptor for IgE, followed by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)-mediated sensing of DNA in phagosomes. Our findings expand the known pathogenic mechanisms of IgE-mediated inflammation beyond those found in allergy and demonstrate that IgE can trigger interferon responses capable of exacerbating self-destructive autoimmune responses.

The impact of antiphospholipid antibodies in children with lupus nephritis

Background and objectives

To evaluate the frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLa) among patients with childhood lupus nephritis (cLN) and to assess their impact on long-term renal outcomes.

Design and setting

This is an observational hospital based study.

Patients and methods

Patients with cLN diagnosed by renal biopsy seen between January 2002 and June 2014 were included. APLa positivity was defined if detection was positive on 2 occasions 6-12 weeks apart during their follow up. Demographic features, age at disease onset, disease duration, follow-up duration and clinical and laboratory variables at the time of renal biopsy were collected. The renal biopsy was reviewed for the nephritis class, microthrombi, activity and chronicity indices. Renal outcome measures included the serum creatinine levels, protein/creatinine ratio and end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Results

Fifty-nine, (49 female) patients with a mean age of 19.8 years and mean disease duration of 6.8 years were involved. APLa were detected in 46 (78%) patients. Twenty-two patients had class IV nephritis, which was more prevalent in APLa positive patients. The frequencies of class III and V nephritis was similar in 10 patients in each class (7 patients in each class with APLa). The presence of APLa did not correlate with nephritis activity or the chronicity indices. Microthrombosis was found in 10 patients, and 8 of them had APLa. Patients with APLa had a higher frequency of elevated serum creatinine and hypertension, 9 developed ESRD, and 7 had APLa. There was no statistically significant association between the presence of APLa and the accrual damage index and clinical manifestations. Furthermore, there was no association between APLa and other autoantibodies.

Conclusion

The frequency of APLa in cLN was high. While the association is not statistically significant, APLa positive patients tend to develop renal microthrombi and are probably at higher risk of ESRD.

Clinical and immunological aspects and outcome of a Brazilian cohort of 414 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): comparison between childhood-onset, adult-onset, and late-onset SLE

The clinical expression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and therefore varies between ethnicities. Information on the epidemiology of SLE in Brazil is scarce and practically limited to studies conducted in socioeconomically developed regions (South and Southeast). The objective of this study was to describe the clinical and immunological aspects and outcome of a cohort of patients with SLE treated at a university hospital in northeastern Brazil and compare patterns related to age at onset: childhood (cSLE), adult (aSLE), and late (lSLE). A random sample of 414 records (women: 93.5%) were reviewed. The mean age at SLE onset and the mean disease duration were 28.9 ± 10.9 years and 10.2 ± 6.6 years, respectively. Most patients had aSLE (n = 338; 81.6%), followed by cSLE (n = 60; 14.5%) and lSLE (n = 16; 3.9%). The female/male ratio was 6.5:1 in cSLE and 16.8:1 in aSLE; in lSLE, all patients were female (p = 0.05). During follow-up, the cSLE group presented higher rates of nephritis (70% vs. 52.9% vs. 12.5%; p = 0.0001) and leuko/lymphopenia (61.7% vs. 43.8% vs. 56.2%; p = 0.02). No significant differences were found for anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, and antiphospholipid antibodies. Treatment with immunosuppressants was significantly more common, and higher doses of prednisone were used, in cSLE. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases were more frequent in lSLE (p = 0.03). No significant differences were found between the three groups with regard to mean damage accrual (SDI), remission, and mortality. Although cSLE presented higher rates of nephritis and leuko/lymphopenia, more frequent use of immunosuppressants and higher prednisone doses than aSLE and lSLE, the three groups did not differ significantly with regard to damage accrual, remission, and mortality.

Similarities and differences between pediatric and adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease with highest prevalence among women of childbearing age. However, children younger than 16 years also can develop SLE (childhood-onset lupus/juvenile-type SLE). The aim of our study was to compare the clinical course of adult and pediatric-onset SLE. Data from 342 adult patients followed at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, and 79 children documented in the Hungarian National Pediatric SLE registry were analyzed using hospital medical records. Organ manifestations, laboratory parameters, and immunoserological characteristics were reviewed and the results were evaluated using SPSS for Windows software.Gender distribution was not significantly different between groups with disease starting in childhood vs adulthood. The prevalence of the following manifestations was significantly higher for pediatric than for adult-onset disease including: lupus nephritis (43% pediatric vs 26.4% for adult-onset), hematological disorders (57% vs 36.4%), photosensitivity (20% vs 9%), butterfly rash (61% vs 35.5%) and mucosal ulceration (11.4% vs 4%). For adult-onset SLE, neurological symptoms (30% vs 6%) and polyarthritis (86% vs 68%) occurred significantly more frequently than in children. Anti-SSA, anti-SSB and antiphospholipid antibodies were detected at significantly higher levels in adult-onset patients compared to those in pediatrics. Children were more commonly given high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment (6.3% vs 0.6%) and mycophenolate mofetil (15.2% vs 5.3%) than adults.These results suggest that pediatric and adult-onset SLE differ in multiple aspects, and it is important to recognize these differences for optimal treatment and prognosis of these patients.

Non-thromboembolic risk in systemic lupus erythematosus associated with antiphospholipid syndrome

Objectives

We investigated the impact of secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) positivity on the non-thromboembolic clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

In total, 224 patients with SLE were studied, of whom 105 were aPL-positive; 52 fulfilled the criteria for APS. SLE- and APS-related clinical and laboratory features were assesed: SLE patients with aPL or APS were compared with those without these features.

Results

Not only thromboembolic events, but also Coombs-positive haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and endocarditis occurred significantly more frequently in the aPL-positive than in the aPL-negative patients. In the APS + SLE subgroup, several non-thromboembolic symptoms occurred more often than in the absence of APS: pleuritis, interstitial lung disease, myocarditis, nephritis and organic brain syndrome. The mean number of major organ manifestations (1.2 vs. 0.5) and the overall number of organ manifestations (8.1 vs. 6.9) were higher in the APS + SLE patients than in those without APS ( p < 0.05). The APS + SLE subgroup more frequently required intensive immunosuppressive treatment than did the APS-negative patients ( p < 0.05).

Conclusions

SLE patients with aPL positivity or secondary APS also have a higher risk to develop non-thromboembolic disease manifestations in addition to the aPL-related symptoms, and are predisposed to more severe SLE manifestations.

Autoreactive IgE is prevalent in systemic lupus erythematosus and is associated with increased disease activity and nephritis

The presence of autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus, particularly those of the IgG subclass, have long been associated with disease onset and activity. Here we explored the prevalence of autoreactive IgE in SLE and its relevance to disease in French (n = 79) and United States (US) (n = 117) cohorts with a mean age of 41.5 ± 12.7 and 43.6 ± 15.3 years and disease duration of 13.5 ± 8.5 and 16.6 ± 11.9 years, respectively. Our findings show that approximately 65% of all SLE subjects studied produced IgE antibodies to the seven autoantigens tested. This positivity was increased to almost 83% when only those subjects with active disease were considered. SLE subjects who were positive for anti-dsDNA, -Sm, and -SSB/La -specific IgE showed a highly significant association in the levels of these antibodies with disease activity similar to that of the corresponding IgG's. A strong association of IgE autoantibodies with active nephritis was also found in the combined cohort analysis. A test of the predictive value of autoreactive IgE's and IgGs for disease activity (SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) ≥ 4) revealed that the best predictors were dsDNA-specific IgE and IgG, and that the age of an SLE subject influenced this predictive model. The finding argue that the overall levels of IgE autoantibodies, independently or in combination with IgG autoantibodies, may serve as indicators of active disease.

Paediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

Paediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is usually more severe than its adult counterpart. In particular, there is a higher incidence of renal and central nervous system involvement. Specific measures to assess disease activity and damage have been implemented. The disease is very rare before the fifth birthday and therefore the onset of an SLE picture in the first years of life should lead to the suspicion of the presence of one of the rare monogenic diseases that causes SLE or of one of those congenital diseases that has been showed to be closely associated with the SLE.

Associations of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large, multicenter Chinese cohort. Medical records of 1898 SLE inpatients from 15 hospitals were reviewed and classified into three groups according to their ages at disease presentation. Categorical data were analyzed by chi-square test and potentially associated factors were tested by multinomial logistic regression. Among the patients studied, 259 (13.6%) were juvenile onset (≤18 years), 1444 (76.1%) were early onset (>18 and ≤45 years) and 195 (10.3%) were late onset (>45 years). Whenever manifestations occurred, most patients (>80%) were diagnosed within two years. Juvenile-onset patients were more likely to be untreated before admission ( p < 0.001) and have mucocutaneous manifestations ( p < 0.001), but musculoskeletal symptoms ( p < 0.05) and leukopenia ( p < 0.05) were less frequent, while comorbidities were much higher in patients with late-onset SLE ( p < 0.001). Neuropsychiatric, cardiopulmonary, renal and gastrointestinal involvement, disease activity index and damage scores were similar among three groups. Anti-Sm antibodies were less prevalent in late-onset patients ( p < 0.05) and antimalarial drugs were more often applied to juvenile-onset patients ( p < 0.001). As expected, mortality was elevated in the late-onset SLE group ( p < 0.05), in which nearly half died of infections, which was much higher than those in the other two groups ( p < 0.001). Logistic regression confirmed that patients with juvenile- and early-onset disease were associated with high incidence of being untreated prior to admission, and with low incidence of comorbidities as well as deaths caused by infection compared to patients with late-onset lupus. Interestingly, our data showed that more patients with late-onset disease had a SLEDAI score change of >7 at discharge. In conclusion, age at onset has an impact on SLE disease status, and infection is the main cause of death in those with late-onset lupus. Considering that the late-onset patients had simultaneously easily controllable diseases and high incidence of comorbidities, a different treatment strategy from younger patients should be considered.

The frequency of and associations with hospitalization secondary to lupus flares from the 1000 Faces of Lupus Canadian cohort

Objectives

Hospitalization is a major factor in health care costs and a surrogate for worse outcomes in chronic disease. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of hospitalization secondary to lupus flare, the causes of hospitalization, and to determine risk factors for hospitalization in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Data were collected as part of the 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus, a prospective cohort study, where annual major lupus flares including hospitalizations were recorded over a 3-year period.

Results

Of 665 patients with available hospitalization histories, 68 reported hospitalization related to a SLE flare over 3 years of follow-up. The average annual hospitalization rate was 7.6% (range 6.6–8.9%). The most common reasons for hospitalization were: hematologic (22.1%), serositis (20.6%), musculoskeletal (MSK) (16.2%), and renal (14.7%). Univariate risk factors for lupus hospitalization included (OR [95% CI]; p < 0.05): juvenile-onset lupus (2.2 [1.1–4.7]), number of ACR SLE criteria (1.4 [1.1–1.7], baseline body mass index (BMI) (1.1 [1.0–1.1]), psychosis (3.4 [1.2–9.9]), aboriginal race (3.2 [1.5–6.7]), anti-Smith (2.6 [1.2–5.4]), erythrocyte sedimentation rate >25 mm/hr (1.9 [1.1–3.4]), proteinuria >0.5 g/d (4.2 [1.9–9.3], and SLAM-2 score (1.1 [1.0–1.2]). After multivariate regression only BMI, number of ACR criteria, and psychosis were associated with hospitalization for lupus flare.

Conclusions

The mean annual rate of hospitalization attributed to lupus was lower than expected. Hematologic, serositis, MSK and renal were the most common reasons. In a regression model elevated BMI, more ACR criteria and psychosis were associated with hospitalization.

Update on differences between childhood-onset and adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease and occurs worldwide in both children and adults. The estimated annual incidence among children is 2.22/100,000 and among adults is 23.2/100,000 in the United States. There is increasing understanding about differences in disease manifestations, medication use, and disease severity between those with childhood-onset SLE as compared with adult-onset SLE. Children have a more fulminant disease onset and course than adults with SLE, resulting in two to three times higher mortality. In future years, we anticipate more insight into the genetics between childhood-onset SLE and adult-onset SLE to help delineate the best therapies for both subsets of patients.