A Systematic Review of the Literature on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ system autoimmune disease of significant complexity, morbidity, and mortality. It is estimated that SLE affects nearly 1.5 million persons in the United States and is 3 to 4 times more prevalent in Black females than White females. The purpose of this literature review is to appraise relevant evidence on the epidemiology, burden, mortality rate, clinical manifestations, and impact of delayed diagnosis in at-risk populations; also to gain insight into the barriers to early diagnosis of SLE by primary healthcare providers. The literature was searched using scientific databases such as PubMed and EMBASE for relevant peer-reviewed articles. A total of 24 articles were included in the synthesis of data. The literature review provided evidence-based findings of the effects of SLE with delayed diagnosis. There remains a paucity of high-quality research studies examining the significance of early recognition and diagnosis of systemic lupus.