Skin immunoflorescence in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE. Relationship between the...

19 SLE patients between 12 and 18 years of age were studied. In all cases a renal histological study was performed and patients received prednisone daily or on alternate days; 10 also received azathioprine. Patients were hospitalized for disease activity assessment from the clinical and biochemical standpoints. A healthy skin biopsy was simultaneously performed in the antero external face of the forearm and the fragment was subject to direct immunofluorescence study. IgG, IgM or C3 granular deposits were fund in six patients (33 per cent). Presence, type and intensity of deposits were related with other clinical and biochemical activity aspects, type of nephropathy, evolution and treatment time, and none was statistically significant. We can conclude that immune deposits in the skin of SLE patients can be useful as an auxiliary method for the diagnosis of this disease not having a relationship with the type and severity of the nephropathy or clinical activity of the disease.