Clinical and serological characteristics of early systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Introduction. Early diagnosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with prompt initiation of basic therapy is essential for a favorable prognosis. Purpose. Determination of early manifestations of the disease in patients with lupus to initiate optimal treatment. Material and methods. The descriptive study performed included 68 patients with early SLE - the disease duration up to 2 years after the diagnosis. The evaluation of the diseases characteristics was performed through a questionnaire developed by us that included the clinical and paraclinical examination. Statistical data - MedCalc v.1.2 and Excel.Results. The analysis of the results about early SLE manifestations revealed the high frequency of joint involvement in 64.7%, photosensitivity and malar rash being 58.82% and 32.35%, respectively, and oral ulcers and alopecia about 1/4 cases. The signs detected, but omitted from the criteria with increased occurrence were represented by fatigue in 42.64% of cases, fever 29.41%, myalgia and Raynaud's syndrome in 20.58% of patients. It should be noted that the appearance of the first manifestations attributed to lupus was noticed 1-4 years before the diagnosis.Conclusions Top early signs in our patients included arthralgia, photosensitivity and fatigue, which were supplemented by malar rash and fever