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Clinical features of Thai male lupus: an age-matched controlled study
Jitima Mongkoltanatus1, Suparaporn Wangkaew, Nuntana Kasitanon
1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Insights
This study reveals distinct clinical differences in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) between Thai males and females. Male SLE patients showed less alopecia and Raynaud's phenomenon but more thrombocytopenia and renal issues.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with known sex-based prevalence differences.
- Understanding sex-related variations in clinical manifestations is crucial for targeted patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of male SLE in Thailand.
- To compare the clinical and laboratory features of male SLE patients with age-matched female SLE patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records of diagnosed SLE patients.
- Comparison of clinical and laboratory data between male and age-matched female SLE cohorts.
Main Results:
- Males constituted 7.3% of the SLE patient cohort (37 males out of 508).
- Male SLE patients exhibited significantly lower rates of alopecia, arthralgia, Raynaud's phenomenon, and psychosis compared to females.
- Conversely, male SLE patients showed a higher prevalence of thrombocytopenia and renal insufficiency than female patients.
Conclusions:
- Significant sex-related differences exist in the clinical presentation of SLE among Thai patients.
- These findings highlight the need for sex-specific considerations in diagnosing and managing SLE.
Abstract:
To study the prevalence, and clinical and laboratory manifestations of male lupus, and compare these findings with their age-matched female lupus in Thai patients. The medical records of patients with diagnosed Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were reviewed. The clinical and laboratory manifestations were determined. There were 37 males in 508 patients with SLE (7.3%). There was no difference in mean +/- SD age and disease duration between male patients and their 74 female age-matched controls. When compared with females, male lupus patients had a significantly lower prevalence of alopecia (13.6 vs. 44.6%, P = 0.001), arthralgia (2.7 vs. 17.6%, P = 0.032), Raynaud's phenomenon (0.0 vs. 12.2%, P = 0.027), and psychosis (0.0 vs. 13.5%, P = 0.029), but they had a significantly higher prevalence of thrombocytopenia (32.4 vs. 12.2%, P = 0.019) and renal insufficiency (40.5 vs. 16.4%, P = 0.006). Our study showed several existing sex-related differences in the clinical manifestations in Thai SLE patients.