Evaluating the performance of ACR, SLICC and EULAR/ACR classification criteria in childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus

The performance of the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

ObjectiveClassification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are required to ensure consistency in enrolling patients into clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria in patients with childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) by comparing its sensitivity and specificity with the 1997 ACR and the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria.MethodsOur study included 111 cSLE patients (82% female) for sensitivity analysis. The diagnostic sensitivity of the three sets of classification criteria were further tested at first year of diagnosis and at last visit, longitudinally.ResultsThe 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria had the highest sensitivity at diagnosis and the first-year follow-up (93.7% and 96%, respectively). At the last visit, 2019 EULAR/ACR had a sensitivity equal to 2012 SLICC (98% vs 98%) and still continued to exhibit a better sensitivity than 1997 ACR (98% vs 93.9%). Concerning specificity, 1997 ACR criteria demonstrated the highest performance (89.4%), whereas 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria exhibited greater specificity compared to 2012 SLICC (86.5% vs 81.7%, respectively).ConclusionThe 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria classified patients with higher sensitivity at diagnosis and at the first-year follow-up. However, 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria at last visit demonstrated an equal sensitivity to 2012 SLICC. The specificity performance of 2019 EULAR/ACR could not reach to the level of 1997 ACR, but it was more successful than 2012 SLICC. Although the difference was not significant, the new set of criteria seem to be capable of recruiting more children to clinical trials.

Prediction of Lupus Classification Criteria via Generative AI Medical Record Profiling

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that poses serious long-term patient burdens. (1) Background: SLE patient classification and care are often complicated by case heterogeneity (diverse variations in symptoms and severity). Large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence (genAI) may mitigate this challenge by profiling medical records to assess key medical criteria. (2) Methods: To demonstrate genAI-based profiling, ACR (American College of Rheumatology) 1997 SLE classification criteria were used to define medically relevant LLM prompts. Records from 78 previously studied patients (45 classified as having SLE; 33 indeterminate or negative) were computationally profiled, via five genAI replicate runs. (3) Results: GenAI determinations of the "Discoid Rash" and "Pleuritis or Pericarditis" classification criteria yielded perfect concurrence with clinical classification, while some factors such as "Immunologic Disorder" (56% accuracy) were statistically unreliable. Compared to clinical classification, our genAI approach achieved a 72% predictive success rate. (4) Conclusions: GenAI classifications may prove sufficiently predictive to aid medical professionals in evaluating SLE patients and structuring care strategies. For individual criteria, accuracy seems to correlate inversely with complexities in clinical determination, implying that improvements in AI patient profiling tools may emerge from continued advances in clinical classification efficacy.

Early-onset lupus nephritis

Early-onset systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a distinct clinical entity characterized by the onset of disease manifestations during childhood. Despite some similarities to patients who are diagnosed during adulthood, early-onset SLE typically displays a greater disease severity, with aggressive multiorgan involvement, lower responsiveness to classical therapies, and more frequent flares. Lupus nephritis is one of the most severe complications of SLE and represents a major risk factor for long-term morbidity and mortality, especially in children. This review focuses on the clinical and histological aspects of early-onset lupus nephritis, aiming at highlighting relevant differences with adult patients, emphasizing long-term outcomes and discussing the management of long-term complications. We also discuss monogenic lupus, a spectrum of conditions caused by single gene variants affecting the complement cascade, extracellular and intracellular nucleic acid sensing and processing, and occasionally other metabolic pathways. These monogenic forms typically develop early in life and often have clinical manifestations that resemble sporadic SLE, whereas their response to standard treatments is poor.

Diagnostic performance of classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus: A validation study from Singapore

Introduction

Classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) include American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012 and European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/ACR 2019 criteria. Their performance in an Asian childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) population remains unclear as the clinical manifestations differ. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic performance in a cSLE cohort in Singapore.

Method

Cases were physician-diagnosed cSLE, while controls were children with mixed and undifferentiated connective tissue disease that posed an initial diagnostic challenge. Data were retrospec-tively reviewed to establish the 3 criteria fulfilled at diagnosis and over time.

Results

The study population included 120 cSLE cases and 36 controls. At diagnosis, 102 (85%) patients fulfilled all criteria. SLICC-2012 had the highest sensitivity (97.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 92.3-99.5), while ACR-1997 had the highest specificity (91.7%, 95% CI 77.5-98.3). All criteria had diagnostic accuracies at more than 85%. Over time, 113 (94%) fulfilled all criteria. SLICC-2012 remained the criteria with the highest sensitivity (99.2%, 95% CI 95.4-99.9), while ACR-1997 had the highest specificity (75.0%, 95% CI 57.8-87.9). Only SLICC-2012 and ACR-1997 had more than 85% diagnostic accuracy over time. Using a cutoff score of ≥13 for EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria resulted in improved diagnostic performance.

Conclusion

SLICC-2012 criteria had the highest sensitivity early in the disease course in this first study evaluating the SLE classification criteria performance in a Southeast Asian cSLE cohort, while the ACR-1997 criteria had the highest specificity. Using a cutoff score of ≥13 for EULAR/ACR-2019 improved the diagnostic performance.

The value of 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria in predicting lupus nephritis in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND

We investigated the role of European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for the prediction of LN among children with SLE.

METHODS

The data of the patients with childhood-onset SLE diagnosed based on 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria were retrospectively evaluated. Based on 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria, the scoring was done at the time of renal biopsy.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients (12 with LN, 40 without LN) were included. The mean score was higher in patients with LN than those without (30.8±6.14, 19.8±7.76, respectively, p=0.000). The score value had indicative value for LN (area under curve [AUC]:0.863±0.055, cut-off value:22.5, p=0.000). Lymphocyte counts had a predictive value for LN (cut-off value:905/mm3, AUC:0.688±0.087, p=0.042). The score was positively associated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and activity index (r=0.879, p=0.000; r=0.811, p=0.001, respectively). There were significant negative associations between score value and GFR (r=-0.582, p=0.047). The patients with renal flare had higher the mean score than those of without renal flare (35±2/25.4±5.57, respectively, p=0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

The EULAR/ACR criteria score could reflect the activity of disease and severity of nephritis in childhood-onset SLE. A point of 22.5 as score value might be an indicator for LN. During scoring, it should be taken into account that lymphopenia might guide the prediction of LN.

Does kidney biopsy in pediatric lupus patients "complement" the management and outcomes of silent lupus nephritis? Lessons learned from a pediatric cohort

BACKGROUND

Silent lupus nephritis (SLN) is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without clinical and laboratory features of kidney involvement but with biopsy-proven nephritis. This study aims to describe and compare the baseline characteristics and outcomes of pediatric SLN with overt LN (OLN) and to identify associated risk factors and biochemical markers.

METHODS

In this retrospective, observational study, multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses studied age, sex, race, serum complements, anti-double-stranded-DNA antibody, anti-Smith antibody, eGFR, and proliferative nephritis.

RESULTS

In our cohort of 69 patients, 47 were OLN, and 22 were SLN. OLN (OR = 4.9, p = 0.03) and non-African Americans (AA) (OR = 13.0, p < 0.01) had higher odds, and increasing C3 and C4 were associated with lower odds of proliferative nephritis (OR 0.95 and 0.65 per one unit increase in C3 and C4, respectively, p < 0.01). They demonstrated a good discriminative ability to detect proliferative nephritis as assessed by the area under the ROC curve (C3 = 0.78, C4 = 0.78). C3 and C4 in proliferative SLN and OLN were comparable and significantly lower than their non-proliferative counterparts. No association was observed between age, sex, anti-double-stranded-DNA antibody, anti-Smith antibody, eGFR, and proliferative nephritis. Proliferative SLN and OLN patients received similar treatments. Adverse events were identified in the proliferative OLN only.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower complement levels are associated with proliferative lesions in pediatric LN-both SLN and OLN. The non-AA population had higher odds of having proliferative nephritis than the AA. Prospective, randomized, long-term follow-up of proliferative SLN patients is needed to ascertain the beneficial effect of early diagnosis and treatment. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a devastating autoimmune disease that can result in substantial morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and treatment of SLE are clinical challenges. Patient presentation and response to therapy are heterogeneous because of the complex immune dysregulation that results in SLE disease pathogenesis. An intricate interplay between genetic risk and skewing of adaptive and innate immune system responses leads to overproduction of type I interferons and other cytokines, complement activation, immune-complex deposition, and ultimately inflammation and tissue damage. Here, we review the classification criteria as well as standard and emerging diagnostic tools available to identify patients with SLE. We then focus on medical management, including novel therapeutics, nonpharmacologic interventions, and comorbidity management.

Evaluating performance of the 2019 EULAR/ACR, 2012 SLICC, and 1997 ACR criteria for classifying adult-onset and childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012, and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR 2019 SLE criteria are often used to classify patients with adult-onset and childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in clinical practice because there are currently no diagnostic criteria for SLE. However, there is scarce evidence regarding which criteria are best for diagnosing patients with adult-onset and childhood-onset SLE.

Methods

We searched Medline and Scopus databases for English-language articles from inception through October 2021. Data were extracted from the included publications by two independent reviewers. We performed bivariate meta-analysis with a random-effects model to pool diagnostic parameters. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity sources. We used network meta-analysis to compare diagnosis performance among the three criteria and ranked them in descending order. Publication bias was assessed using Deeks' funnel plot.

Results

We included 29 studies for systematic review and meta-analysis. Of these, 18 studies involved adult-onset SLE and 11 studies involved childhood-onset SLE. The pooled sensitivities of the three criteria for diagnosis of adult-onset SLE were comparable between SLICC 2012 and EULAR/ACR 2019 [95.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 92.28-97.81 vs. 94.79, 95% CI 92.03-96.63]; pooled specificity was highest in ACR 1997 (92.24, 95% CI 87.06-95.46). In childhood-onset SLE, pooled sensitivity was highest in SLICC 2012 (93.76, 95% CI 89.45-96.39), and pooled specificity was highest in ACR 1997 (95.89, 95% CI 91.73-98.00). In network meta-analysis, the pooled diagnostic odds ratio ranked highest for EULAR/ACR 2019 (131.570, 95% CI 61.50-281.47) in adult-onset SLE and ranked highest for SLICC 2012 (191.07, 95% CI 76.06-480.01) in childhood-onset SLE. Deeks' funnel plot showed no publication bias.

Conclusion

We found that the diagnostic performance of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria differed between adult-onset and childhood-onset SLE. EULAR/ACR 2019 performed best for adult-onset SLE and SLICC 2012 was best for childhood-onset SLE in classifying patients with SLE.

Systematic review registration

[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [CRD420 21281586].

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.

Advances in SLE classification criteria

This year, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1982 classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) celebrate their 40th anniversary. From this start, the quest for optimal SLE criteria has led to the 1997 ACR update, the 2012 publication of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria, and, in 2019, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR classification criteria. The latter have since been externally validated in more than two dozen studies and have become the gold standard inclusion criterion of SLE clinical trials. This comprehensive review attempts to follow the evolving success story of SLE classification, highlighting relevant decisions and their rationale, and discussing consequences for the way SLE is defined and managed.

Validation of the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus in ANA-positive Chinese patients

Background

The aim of this study was to validate the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in antinuclear antibody (ANA)-positive Chinese patients.

Methods

Medical records of all adult patients who attended the rheumatology out-patient clinics between May and September 2019 were reviewed. Patients with ever ANA positive (titre ⩾1:80) were included and evaluated for the fulfilment of the 2019 EULAR/ACR, 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) and 1997 ACR criteria for SLE classification. The performance of these criteria in predicting a clinical diagnosis of SLE as judged by an independent panel of rheumatologists was studied and compared in different subgroups.

Results

A total of 1533 patients (88.2% women; age at first clinic attendance 45.5 ± 15.6 years) were studied and 562 patients were judged to be clinical SLE. The sensitivity and specificity of the EULAR/ACR (⩾10 points), SLICC and ACR criteria for a clinical diagnosis of SLE was 96.1%, 97.9% and 86.1%; and 85.8%, 86.3% and 94.3%, respectively. Applying the attribution rule to the non-SLE controls, the specificity of the three criteria increased to 95.0%, 92.5% and 98.8%, respectively. The specificity of the EULAR/ACR criteria was higher in male patients (97.9%), those aged >50 years (97.0%) and disease duration of ⩽3 years (97.6%). Using a cut-off of 12 points, the specificity of the EULAR/ACR criteria was further increased (96.6%) while a high sensitivity (95.0%) was maintained.

Conclusion

In Chinese patients with a positive ANA, the EULAR/ACR criteria for clinical SLE perform equally well to the SLICC criteria. Both the EULAR/ACR and SLICC are more sensitive but less specific than the ACR criteria. The specificity of all the three criteria is enhanced by applying the attribution rule to controls. The specificity of the EULAR/ACR criteria is higher in certain patient subgroups or when the cut-off score is raised.

Performance of the EULAR/ACR 2019 classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematous in monogenic lupus

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the application of the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria to monogenic lupus patients and compare its performance against the SLICC-2012 criteria.

METHODS

In a multicenter retrospective cohort study, consecutive patients with monogenic lupus from three tertiary lupus clinics were enrolled. The diagnosis of monogenic lupus was based on the expert physician's opinion or fulfilling the SLICC-2012 criteria. All enrolled patients had genetic variants. A control group of sporadic childhood SLE (cSLE) and non-SLE patients, were included. A descriptive data analysis was conducted, and the EULAR/ACR-2019 and SLICC-2012 criteria were applied to both groups.

RESULTS

Forty-nine patients with monogenic lupus with a median age at diagnosis of 6.0 (IQR 3.0-10.8) years and 104 controls (55 patients with cSLE and 49 non-lupus patients with a median age at diagnosis of 10.0 and 5.0 respectively) were included. Forty-four (89.8%) patients with monogenic lupus fulfilled the EULAR/ACR-2019 with a mean score of 22.3±8.9. The most frequent domains were immunologic (93.9%), musculoskeletal and renal (each 57.1%), and mucocutaneous (55.1%). Fifty-four (98.2%) cSLE patients and six (12.2%) non-lupus patients met the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria with a mean score of 22.5±9.2 and 8.5±5.2, respectively. The sensitivity of the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria in monogenic lupus was 89.9% (95% CI: 78.3-90.2), while the specificity was 87.6% (95% CI: 75.2-88.7).

CONCLUSION

This is the first and largest cohort of monogenic lupus patients testing the performance of the 2019-EULAR/ACR criteria. It efficiently classifies monogenic lupus patients, irrespective of the underlying genetic variants. Further studies are needed before these criteria are adopted worldwide. Key Points • Typically, patients with monogenic lupus have early onset severe disease, especially with mucocutaneous manifestations and a strong family history of SLE. • Monogenic lupus is a distinctive entity and might differ from the sporadic childhood SLE. • Our study includes a large multinational cohort of monogenic lupus with heterogeneous phenotypic features and underlying genetic variants. • Our study demonstrates that the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria efficiently classified monogenic lupus patients, irrespective of the diversity of the underlying genetic variants.

Evaluation of the European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology-2019 classification criteria in patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a single-center retrospective study

This study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology-2019 (EULAR/ACR-2019) classification criteria with prior classification schemes for patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). This single-center retrospective study examined 53 patients with cSLE and 53 patients having antinuclear antibody (ANA) titers ≥ 1:80 but not cSLE as controls. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria, original criteria reported earlier in 2019, the ACR-1997 criteria, and the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics-2012 (SLICC-2012) criteria. The frequency of positivity in the cSLE group for each item of the EULAR/ACR-2019, ACR-1997, and SLICC-2012 criteria was determined. Characteristics of the misclassified patients were also investigated. All patients with cSLE had ANA titers ≥ 1:80. The non-SLE diagnoses included juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic sclerosis, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), and others. Sensitivities of the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria, the original criteria, the ACR-1997 criteria, and the SLICC-2012 criteria were 100%, 100%, 86.8%, and 100%, respectively; the specificities were 84.9%, 92.5%, 98.1%, and 88.7%, respectively. In the cSLE group, the items of the SLE-specific antibody (100%), complement (98.1%), hematological (94.3%), and renal (84.9%) domains were frequently observed in the EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria. The EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria misclassified patient controls more frequently, especially those with MCTD or pSS, as having SLE than the previous criteria. The EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria for cSLE had high sensitivity but low specificity; the weighted scoring of the original criteria reported earlier in 2019 may confer higher specificity and be more appropriate for the classification of SLE in a pediatric population. Key Points • The EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria for cSLE had high sensitivity but low specificity. • The EULAR/ACR-2019 criteria more frequently misclassified non-SLE patients who did not have SLE, especially those with MCTD or pSS, as having SLE than the previous criteria in patients with childhood onset. • The weighted scoring of the original criteria reported earlier in 2019 may confer higher specificity and be a more appropriate classification of SLE for a pediatric population.

Classification of systemic lupus erythematosus in children and adults

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune multisystem disease with a variable clinical phenotype and no single clinical, laboratory or pathological feature that can be used as a gold standard for disease classification or diagnosis. Classification criteria have been developed in an attempt to define homogenous groups of SLE patients for clinical research. They have been mainly validated in adult cohorts, given the much lower prevalence of SLE before puberty. The three commonly used sets of current classification criteria and their validation studies to date are described in this review. Challenges relating to classification of SLE patients, including important differences across age-groups and ethnicities, are explored along with future directions in the classification of SLE.