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The bm12 Inducible Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in C57BL/6 Mice
Published on: November 1, 2015
Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups. XX. Damage as a predictor of further damage
G S Alarcón1, J M Roseman, G McGwin
1Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. graciela.alarcon@cc.uab.edu
Insights
Previous damage significantly predicts future damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Persistent disease activity, older age, and corticosteroid use also contribute to damage accrual in SLE.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease.
- Damage accrual is a significant concern in long-term SLE management.
- Understanding predictors of damage is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of damage in a multiethnic cohort of SLE patients.
- To specifically examine baseline predictors of damage.
- To inform clinical management strategies for SLE.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a multiethnic US cohort (LUMINA) of SLE patients.
- Inclusion criteria: >= 6 months follow-up.
- Damage assessed using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) Damage Index (SDI).
- Predictors analyzed from preceding visits to assess change in SDI score.
Main Results:
- 352 patients (Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian) included.
- Previous damage strongly predicted subsequent damage (P < 0.0001).
- Disease activity (P < 0.0001), older age (P = 0.041), and corticosteroid use (P = 0.0048) were also significant predictors.
Conclusions:
- Established damage in SLE patients increases the likelihood of further damage.
- Persistent disease activity exacerbates this risk.
- Findings highlight the importance of proactive management to prevent damage progression in SLE.
Objective:
To examine the predictors of damage in a multiethnic cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with a specific focus on damage at baseline.
Patients And Methods:
SLE patients from a multiethnic US (Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian) cohort (LUMINA: Lupus in Minority populations, Nature versus nurture) were included if they had > or =6 months of follow-up in the cohort. Damage was measured with the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) Damage Index (SDI). The dependent variable was the change in SDI score between study visits. Predictors were from the preceding visit. Variables known to affect damage accrual in SLE were included in the analyses.
Results:
Three hundred and fifty-two patients (82 Hispanics, 153 African-Americans and 117 Caucasians) representing 1795 patient visits were included. Previous damage was found to be a significant predictor of subsequent damage accrual (P < 0.0001). Other variables predictive of subsequent damage accrual were disease activity (P < 0.0001), older age (P = 0.041) and use of corticosteroids (P = 0.0048).
Conclusions:
Once damage occurs in SLE, further damage is expected to occur. This is more likely to be the case if disease activity persists. These data have clinical implications for the management of SLE patients.

