MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 70 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Severe chemosis in systemic lupus erythematosus--a new sign?

Zaini Anuar, Asrar M, Ngan A

Med J Malaysia, 1982 Mar;37(1):78-9.
PMID: 7121353

A young Chinese female presented with severe bilateral chemosis without any other systemic evidence ofoedema or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Investigations confirmed the diagnosis of SLE with early diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. The condition improved with steroid therapy.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Fulltext Mortality patterns in Malaysian systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Yeap SS, Chow SK, Manivasagar M, Veerapen K, Wang F

Med J Malaysia, 2001 Sep;56(3):308-12.
PMID: 11732075

A retrospective analysis of the case records of 494 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients under follow-up at University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur during 1976-1990 was performed. Overall mortality was 20.2% (100 patients). The causes of death were infection (30%), renal (15%), respiratory (14%), neurological (5%), cardiovascular (7%), other causes (2%) and unknown (27%). Active SLE was a contributing factor in 19% of the deaths. The patients who died had significantly more renal disease, neurological disease, serositis or thrombocytopenia by the end of the first year of disease compared to the survivors. As in other series, infection and active SLE remain important causes of death.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications
A case of minimal change disease complicated by acute kidney injury in systemic lupus erythematosus

Wong KW

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl, 2014 Nov;25(6):1308-11.
PMID: 25394457
Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Systemic lupus erythematosus with membranous lupus nephropathy in Malaysian patients

Wang F, Looi LM

Q. J. Med., 1984;53(210):209-26.
PMID: 6463196 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.qjmed.a067794

Thirty-one patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had membranous lupus nephropathy (MLN). They were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of 13 patients who had pure MLN but the patients in Group 2 had segmental proliferation in up to 35 per cent of their glomeruli. The rest of the glomeruli had purely membranous change. The patients of Group 2 were no different from the other MLN patients in terms of age, sex and race. The extrarenal disease in both groups was extensive and severe. The renal disease was usually associated with the nephrotic syndrome or oedema but was asymptomatic throughout in one patient. Both renal and extrarenal features responded to treatment initially but relapses were frequent and often severe. Relapses often occurred as treatment was discontinued or medication reduced. Survival at six years in Group I was 62 per cent and in Group 2 was 50 per cent. Only one patient died with renal failure although five patients had impaired renal function at death. The chief causes of death were disease of the central nervous system and infection.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Fulltext The association between serum prolactin levels and interleukin-6 and systemic lupus erythematosus activity

Wan Asyraf WA, Mohd Shahrir MS, Asrul W, Norasyikin AW, Hanita O, Kong WY, et al.

Reumatismo, 2018 Dec 20;70(4):241-250.
PMID: 30570242 DOI: 10.4081/reumatismo.2018.1075

Based on the recent evidence of association between hyperprolactinemia and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity (SLEDAI), a study was conducted to analyze the association of hyperprolactinemia with lupus nephritis disease activity. In this cross-sectional study, the analysis was conducted on SLE patients who visited the University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) Nephrology Clinic from August 2015 till February 2016. The disease activity was measured using the SLEDAI score, with more than 4 indicating active lupus nephritis. Basal resting prolactin level was analyzed in 43 patients with lupus nephritis, in 27.9% of them had raised serum prolactin. The median of serum prolactin level at 0 minutes was 19.91 ng/mL (IQR: 15.95-22.65 ng/ mL) for active lupus nephritis, which was significantly higher compared to the median of serum prolactin level of 14.34 ng/mL (IQR: 11.09-18.70 ng/mL) for patients in remission (p=0.014). The serum prolactin level positively correlated with SLEDAI (rhos: 0.449, p=0.003) and the UPCI level in lupus nephritis patients (rhos: 0.241, p=0.032). The results were reproduced when the serum prolactin was repeated after 30 minutes. However, the serum prolactin levels at 0 minutes were higher than those taken after 30 minutes (p=0.001). An assessment of serum IL-6 levels found that the active lupus nephritis patients had a higher median level of 65.91 pg/ mL (IQR: 21.96-146.14 pg/mL) compared to the in-remission level of 15.84 pg/mL (IQR: 8.38-92.84 pg/mL), (p=0.039). Further correlation analysis revealed that there was no statistical correlation between the interleukin (IL)-6 levels with serum prolactin, SLEDAI and other lupus nephritis parameters. An ROC curve analysis of serum prolactin at 0 minutes and serum prolactin after 30 minutes and IL-6 levels for prediction of SLE disease activity provided the cutoff value of serum prolactin at 0 minutes, which was 14.63 ng/mL with a sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 58.1% and AUC of 0.74 (p=0.015). This study concurred with the previous findings that stated that hyperprolactinemia is prevalent in SLE patients and correlated with clinical disease activity and UPCI level. The baseline of the fasting serum prolactin level was found to be a sensitive biomarker for the evaluation of lupus nephritis disease activity.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Tophaceous gout in young patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Veerapen K, Schumacher HR, van Linthoudt D, Neilson EG, Wang F

J Rheumatol, 1993 Apr;20(4):721-4.
PMID: 8496872

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and gout have been associated infrequently. We describe 3 young adults with SLE who developed tophaceous gout relatively early in the course of their disease. All were underexcretors of uric acid but were studied after the development of renal disease; 2 were treated with diuretics. In 2 cases, gout became obvious while lupus was quiescent.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
The effects of ethnicity on disease patterns in 472 Orientals with systemic lupus erythematosus

Thumboo J, Fong KY, Chng HH, Koh ET, Chia HP, Leong KH, et al.

J Rheumatol, 1998 Jul;25(7):1299-304.
PMID: 9676760

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of ethnicity on disease manifestations in Oriental patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to describe the risk of developing renal or central nervous system (CNS) involvement with time.
METHODS: A retrospective study of 472 patients with SLE seen at the only Rheumatology Unit in Singapore. The effect of ethnicity on selected disease manifestations at diagnosis was assessed after adjusting for demographic variables using multiple logistic regression. The probability of developing selected disease manifestations with time was determined using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method.
RESULTS: At diagnosis, Malays had a higher risk of renal or CNS involvement than Chinese (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.21 to 4.21, and OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 9.34, respectively), and Indians a lower risk of malar rash and a higher risk of oral ulcers than Chinese (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.68, and OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.45 to 7.34, respectively). The prevalence of renal or CNS involvement in the entire cohort increased with time, reaching 75.6% (95% CI 66.1% to 85.0%) and 16.7% (95% CI 11.7% to 21.6%), respectively, after 18 years of disease.
CONCLUSION: Ethnicity influenced disease manifestations at diagnosis in this cohort of Oriental patients with SLE. Renal or CNS involvement developed in previously unaffected patients up to 18 years after diagnosis, highlighting the need for continued vigilance in patients with lupus.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications
Severe infections in systemic lupus erythematosus: disease pattern and predictors of infection-related mortality

Teh CL, Wan SA, Ling GR

Clin Rheumatol, 2018 Aug;37(8):2081-2086.
PMID: 29667100 DOI: 10.1007/s10067-018-4102-6

Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To describe the pattern of serious infections in patients with SLE and to identify the predictors of infection-related mortality among SLE patients with serious infections, we prospectively studied all SLE patients who were hospitalized with infections in Sarawak General Hospital during 2011-2015. Demographic data, clinical features, and outcomes were collected. Cox regression analysis was carried out to determine the independent predictors of infection-related mortality. There were a total of 125 patients with 187 episodes of serious infections. Our patients were of multiethnic origins with female predominance (89.6%). Their mean age was 33.4 ± 14.2 years. The patients had a mean disease duration of 66.8 ± 74.0 months. The most common site of infection was pulmonary (37.9%), followed by septicemia (22.5%). Gram-negative organisms (38.2%) were the predominant isolates within the cohort. There were 21 deaths (11.2%) during the study period. Independent predictors of infection-related mortality among our cohort of SLE patients were flare of SLE (HR 3.98, CI 1.30-12.21) and the presence of bacteremia (HR 2.54, CI 0.98-6.59). Hydroxychloroquine was protective of mortality from serious infections (HR 9.26, CI 3.40-25.64). Pneumonia and Gram-negative organisms were the predominant pattern of infection in our SLE cohort. The presence of flare of SLE and bacteremia were independent prognostic predictors of infection-related mortality, whereas hydroxychloroquine was protective of infection-related mortality among SLE patients with serious infections.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Macrophage activation syndrome as an initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus with sensorineural hearing loss in a young male patient

Tan CL, Yahaya MH, Ahmad NS, Lim CH

BMJ Case Rep, 2020 Mar 12;13(3).
PMID: 32169986 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2019-233330

An 18-year-old male adolescent presented with prolonged high spiking temperature, photosensitive rash, oral ulcers and reduced hearing bilaterally of recent onset. Examination revealed malar rash, vasculitis rash over bilateral palms and soles, oral and buccal ulcers, palpable posterior auricular and inguinal lymph nodes, and reduced hearing bilaterally. His further investigations noted pancytopaenia, elevated transaminases, hyperferritinaemia, low C3 and C4 levels, positive antinuclear antibody, double-stranded DNA and direct Coombs test, while bone marrow aspiration revealed active phagocytic activity suggestive of hemophagocytic syndrome. We made a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus with macrophage activation syndrome. We treated him with pulse intravenous methylprednisolone and his condition improved drastically. Temperature resolved on the next day after intravenous methylprednisolone; bilateral sensorineural hearing loss improved to near-normal hearing after treatment. He remained well during follow-up with a tapering dose of prednisolone.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Fulltext Bilateral optic neuritis in pregnancy

Suraiya MS, Norazlina B, Carmen C, Muhaya M

Med J Malaysia, 2003 Dec;58(5):771-3.
PMID: 15190668

A 25-year old primigravida at 11-weeks period of amenorrhoea presented with bilateral optic neuritis following Varicella Zoster viral (VZV) infection. She was serologically positive for systemic lupus erythematosus but negative for virus. The exact pathogenesis of the patient's severe optic neuritis, adduction and neurological deficit was unknown. The initiation of high dose steroids for optic neuritis was a big clinical dilemma in a pregnant patient with viral infection. The patient was treated with high dose steroids after three days of commencement of antiviral treatment. At 6 months after presentation, her visual acuity in the right eye was 6/36 with perception to light in the left.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications
The spectrum of ocular involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without ocular symptoms

Soo MPK, Chow SK, Tan CT, Nadior N, Yeap SS, Hoh HB

Lupus, 2000;9(7):511-4.
PMID: 11035416 DOI: 10.1177/096120330000900706

The aim of the study was to determine the spectrum of clinical ocular involvement in patients with inactive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who have no ocular symptoms. Patients with a diagnosis of SLE based on the 1982 revised American College of Rheumatology criteria and with no ocular complaints were recruited from the SLE clinic. Clinical data regarding their systemic disease and disease activity were recorded and a full ophthalmic examination carried out. 52 patients of mixed ethnicity comprising of 75% Chinese, 19% Malays and 6% Indian patients were recruited. Of these, 51 (98%) were female with a mean age of 34+/-11 (range 16-74 y). 16 (31%) patients had dry eyes while corticosteroid induced glaucoma and cataract was detected in 1 (2%) and 7 (14%) patients, respectively. No patients were found to have sight-threatening ocular conditions such as cotton wool spots, vasculitis, optic neuropathy or uveitis. Patients with clinically inactive disease were found not to have sight-threatening ocular diseases that are known to be associated with SLE. Although they have no ocular complaints, nearly one-third of these patients have dry eyes. Ocular examination may be unnecessary when the disease is clinically inactive and in the absence of ocular symptoms.
Study site: SLE clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications
Fulltext Hypercementosis: a rare finding in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Shoor H, Sujir N, Mutalik S, Pai KM

BMJ Case Rep, 2014;2014.
PMID: 25427926 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2013-202370

Hypercementosis is excessive deposition of non-neoplastic cementum over normal root cementum, which alters root morphology. This cementum may be either hypocellular or cellular in nature. The aetiopathogenesis of hypercementosis is ambiguous. Although most of the cases are idiopathic, several local and systemic factors are also linked to this condition, such as Paget's disease, acromegaly, vitamin A deficiency, etc. We report two rare cases of hypercementosis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, not previously described in the literature, and also discuss the possible aetiopathogenesis.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
A frequently missed entity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IpsO)

Shirley L, Thundyil RJ

Med J Malaysia, 2017 12;72(6):374-375.
PMID: 29308779 MyJurnal

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IpsO) is defined as presence of clinical features of intestinal obstruction without identifiable mechanical obstructive lesion. IpsO is an uncommon gastrointestinal manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is largely under-recognised. There are only over 30 published cases in English literature on SLE-related IpsO. Herein, we report two cases of SLE-related IpsO to illustrate the importance of early recognition to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention, as SLE-related IpsO responds well to systemic high dose corticosteroids. These two cases also demonstrate the apparent association of IpsO with uretero-hydronephrosis, suggesting that the possible mechanism could be smooth muscle dysmotility.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus: pooled analysis of the literature reviews and report of six new cases

Shaharir SS, Remli R, Marwan AA, Said MS, Kong NCT

Lupus, 2013 Apr;22(5):492-6.
PMID: 23435619 DOI: 10.1177/0961203313478303

INTRODUCTION:Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare neurological disorder which is increasingly recognized to occur in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of SLE patients with PRES and the associated factors of the poor outcome among them.
METHODS: We investigated SLE patients who developed PRES between 2005-2011 at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. A comprehensive literature search was done to find all published cases of PRES in SLE. Pooled analysis was conducted to identify the factors associated with poor outcome.
RESULTS: There were 103 cases of PRES in SLE published in the literature but only 87 cases were included in the analysis in view of incomplete individual data in the remaining cases. The majority of the cases were Asians (74.2%), female (95.4%) with mean age of 26.3 ± 8.8 years. PRES was highly associated with active disease (97.5%), hypertension (91.7%) and renal involvement (85.1%). We found that 79 patients had a full recovery (90.8%) with a mean onset of full clinical recovery in 5.6 ± 4.1 days. On univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis the predictors of poor outcome, defined as incomplete clinical recovery or death, were intracranial hemorrhage, odds ratio (OR) 14 (1.1-187.2), p=0.04 and brainstem involvement in PRES, OR 10.9 (1.3-90.6), p=0.003.
CONCLUSION: Intracranial hemorrhage and brainstem involvement were the two important predictors of poor outcome of PRES. Larger prospective studies are needed to further delineate the risk of poor outcome among them.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Systemic lupus erythematosus among male patients in Malaysia: how are we different from other geographical regions?

Shaharir SS, Kadir WDA, Nordin F, Bakar FA, Ting MWH, Jamil A, et al.

Lupus, 2019 Jan;28(1):137-144.
PMID: 30458692 DOI: 10.1177/0961203318812676

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease which predominantly affects females. The disease characteristics in male SLE patients are reported to be distinct and may vary across ethnicities and geographical regions.
OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare the clinical phenotype and organ damage between male and female patients with SLE in Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study involving SLE patients from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre from June 2016 until June 2017. Information on their socio-demographics and disease characteristics were obtained from the clinical records. Disease damage was assessed using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index (SDI) scores. The disease characteristics, autoantibody profiles and organ damage were compared between male and female patients, and multivariable analysis using male sex as dependent variable was then performed.
RESULTS: A total of 418 patients were recruited and a total of 59 (14.1%) patients were male. Male patients presented with lower SLE ACR criteria at initial presentation but a significantly higher number of them had renal involvement (lupus nephritis) (78.0% versus 63.8%, p = 0.04). Male patients had less musculoskeletal involvement (45.8% versus 63.0%, p = 0.02) and tended to have lesser mucocutaneous involvement. Immunologic profile revealed that a lower number of male patients had positive anti-Ro antibody (22.7% versus 44.7%, p = 0.04) and they tended to have positive lupus anticoagulant antibody (27.6% versus 14.3%, p = 0.06). Presence of organ damage (SDI score ≥ 1) was significantly higher among males (55.9% versus 39.6%, p = 0.02) with higher renal damage (25.4% versus 9.2%, p = 0.004) and cardiovascular event of ischaemic heart disease or stroke (20.3% versus 7.0%, p = 0.004). They were also inclined to develop damage much earlier as compared to female patients, 3 (interquartile range (IQR) 7.5) versus 5 (IQR 7) years, p = 0.08. The occurrence of disease damage was independently associated with male gender with odds ratio of 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.1-3.5), p = 0.02.
CONCLUSION: Male patients with SLE have more severe disease with renal damage and cardiovascular event.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications
Fulltext Risk factors for symptomatic Avascular Necrosis (AVN) in a multi-ethnic Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) cohort

Shaharir SS, Chua SH, Mohd R, Mustafar R, Noh MM, Shahril NS, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0248845.
PMID: 33739994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248845

Avascular necrosis of bone (AVN) is increasingly being recognized as a complication of SLE and causes significant disability due to pain and mobility limitations. We studied the prevalence and factors associated with avascular necrosis (AVN) in a multiethnic SLE cohort. SLE patients who visited the outpatient clinic from October 2017 to April 2019 were considered eligible. Their medical records were reviewed to identify patients who developed symptomatic AVN, as confirmed by either magnetic resonance imaging or plain radiography. Subsequently, their SLE disease characteristics and treatment were compared with the characteristics of patients who did not have AVN. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent factors associated with AVN among the multiethnic SLE cohort. A total of 390 patients were recruited, and the majority of them were females (92.6%); the patients were predominantly of Malay ethnicity (59.5%), followed by Chinese (35.9%) and Indian (4.6%). The prevalence of symptomatic AVN was 14.1%, and the mean age of AVN diagnosis was 37.6 ± 14.4 years. Both univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that a longer disease duration, high LDL-C (low density lipoprotein cholesterol), positive anti-cardiolipin (aCL) IgG and anti-dsDNA results, a history of an oral prednisolone dose of more than 30 mg daily for at least 4 weeks and osteoporotic fractures were significantly associated with AVN. On the other hand, hydroxychloroquin (HCQ), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and bisphosphonate use were associated with a lower risk of AVN. No associations with ethnicity were found. In conclusion, several modifiable risk factors were found to be associated with AVN, and these factors may be used to identify patients who are at high risk of developing such complications. The potential protective effects of HCQ, MMF and bisphosphonates warrant additional studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Non-tuberculous mycobacterium bacteraemia in a pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient: a case review and pooled case analysis

Shaharir SS, Sulaiman Sahari N, Mohamed Fuad Z, Zukiman WZHW, Mohd Yusof NH, Sulong A, et al.

Clin Rheumatol, 2018 Mar;37(3):837-847.
PMID: 28971307 DOI: 10.1007/s10067-017-3855-7

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are recognized as an important cause of human diseases and infections. It is commonly known to cause infections of the skin, soft tissue infections, and pulmonary infection as well as bacteraemia. We report a challenging case of severe mycobacterium abscessus bacteraemia in a pregnant lady with active systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). A comprehensive literature review of NTM infection among SLE patients was also performed, and pooled analysis of the reported cases, including our case, was done to determine the clinical characteristics and factors associated with poor outcome of NTM infection.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Fulltext The clinical significance of vitamin D in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review

Sakthiswary R, Raymond AA

PLoS One, 2013;8(1):e55275.
PMID: 23383135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055275

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent among SLE patients than the general population. Over the past decade, many studies across the globe have been carried out to investigate the role of vitamin D in SLE from various clinical angles. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to summarise and evaluate the evidence from the published literature; focusing on the clinical significance of vitamin D in SLE.
METHODS: THE FOLLOWING DATABASES WERE SEARCHED: MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and CINAHL, using the terms "lupus", "systemic lupus erythematosus", "SLE and "vitamin D". We included only adult human studies published in the English language between 2000 and 2012.The reference lists of included studies were thoroughly reviewed in search for other relevant studies.
RESULTS: A total of 22 studies met the selection criteria. The majority of the studies were observational (95.5%) and cross sectional (90.9%). Out of the 15 studies which looked into the association between vitamin D and SLE disease activity, 10 studies (including the 3 largest studies in this series) revealed a statistically significant inverse relationship. For disease damage, on the other hand, 5 out of 6 studies failed to demonstrate any association with vitamin D levels. Cardiovascular risk factors such as insulin resistance, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia were related to vitamin D deficiency, according to 3 of the studies.
CONCLUSION: There is convincing evidence to support the association between vitamin D levels and SLE disease activity. There is paucity of data in other clinical aspects to make firm conclusions.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Fulltext Systemic lupus erythematosus and miliary tuberculosis in a prepubertal girl--a case report

Raj SM, Hunt J

Med J Malaysia, 1990 Dec;45(4):347-8.
PMID: 2152059

A 13 year old girl presented with miliary tuberculosis and active systemic lupus erythematosus (S.L.E.). She responded to a combination of antituberculous drugs and systemic steroids. This case illustrates the fact that S.L.E. presenting in childhood may be rare but not unknown and exemplifies the need for vigilance in detecting life threatening infections in this group of patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*
Risk factors for infection in Malaysian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Paton NI, Cheong IK, Kong NC, Segasothy M

QJM, 1996 Jul;89(7):531-8.
PMID: 8759494 DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/89.7.531

To determine the incidence, types and risk factors for infection in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 102 patients with definite SLE attending a specialist clinic. Details of major infections (pneumonia or severe infection requiring intravenous therapy) and minor infections, and their time of onset in relation to immunosuppressive therapy and disease flares were recorded. There were 77 major and 163 minor infections during 564 patient-years of follow-up. In the month following a course of pulse methylprednisolone, the incidence of major infection was 20 times higher and the incidence of minor infection was 10 times higher than at other periods (p < 0.0001). In the month after disease flare, the incidence of major infection was 10 times higher and the incidence of minor infection six times higher than at other times (p < 0.0001). After allowing for methylprednisolone therapy and disease flares, there was no increase in the rate of infections during treatment with azathioprine, oral or intravenous cyclophosphamide. There was no effect of renal involvement on infection rate.

Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications*

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links