[Systemic lupus erythematosus with late clinical onset (author's transl)]

This report concerns a retrospective study of 14 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) of onset after age 50, the clinical, evolutive, and therapeutic aspects having been evaluated. Eleven patients were female and three were male. Mean age of onset of symptoms was 60 years. Most frequently observed symptoms were arthralgias and/or arthritis, followed by pleurisy and/or pericarditis. A high incidence of liver involvement was noted. All the patients were treated with 6-methyl prednisolone. Four patients died, two as a consequence of chronic renal failure, and two from complications likely related to corticosteroid therapy. It is concluded that SLE of late onset has certain clinical and therapeutic features that distinguish it from that of earlier onset.