PURPOSE To determine the association between the number of flares systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients experience and damage accrual, independently of other known risk factors. METHODS SLE patients (34 centres, nine Latin American countries) with a recent diagnosis (≤2 years) and ≥3 evaluations were studied. Disease activity was ascertained with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate liver and spleen dimensions in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (c-SLE) patients and healthy controls. METHODS 30 c-SLE patients and 30 healthy control volunteers underwent abdominal ultrasound. The following two liver measurements were performed in left hepatic lobe: craniocaudal and anteroposterior and three in right hepatic lobe (RHL): posterior craniocaud...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by generalized immune activation. Part of this might be explained by a decreased rate of apoptosis, possibly related to elevated levels of soluble Fas (sFas) which can inhibit Fas mediated apoptosis of lymphocytes. In order to substantiate the relation between levels of sFas and lymphocyte activation in SLE we monitored sFas levels, lymphocyte...

Outcome assessments for flares in SLE trials have been both overly sensitive and non-specific, depending on the instrument being used. The article in this issue of Rheumatology by Thanou et al. [1], from a well-respected SLE centre, discusses proposed modifications to the classic Safety of Estrogen in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment (SELENA)-SLEDAI Flair Index (SFI). The SFI is defined ...

OBJECTIVES To identify factors that predict response to belimumab treatment in the phase 3 BLISS trials of autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and further analyse clinical efficacy in various patient subsets. METHODS The BLISS trials compared belimumab 1 and 10 mg/kg versus placebo, all plus standard SLE therapy, over 52 or 76 weeks. Pooled subgroup analyses of week 52 SL...

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) leads to renal lesions, which may be clinically silent in patients with little or no proteinuria. Early detection of these lesions may improve prognosis, but early markers are controversial. This study aimed to determine renal marker proteins associated with renal lesion severity in patients with lupus nephropathy (LN) and little or no proteinuria. ...

OBJECTIVE IL-33 has recently been found to be the specific ligand of ST2, an IL-1 receptor family member that is selectively expressed in Th2 cells and mediates Th2 response. This study aims to measure the serum levels of soluble ST2 (sST2) and IL-33 in patients with SLE and to examine their association with disease activity. METHODS Seventy SLE patients were evaluated for disease activity, d...

Methods Twenty four consecutive patients with C-SLE (ACR criteria) followed at the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit of Instituto da Criança HC-FMUSP underwent abdomen sonography to evaluate hepatic and splenic biometrics. The sonographic scanner used was Esaote MyLab 80 with 3-8 MHz convex transducers. The measure of liver and spleen were obtained with the patient supine and pulmonary overexpansion....

OBJECTIVES To study the relationship of 25(OH)D(3) level with disease activity, vascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in SLE. METHODS Consecutive patients who fulfilled four or more ACR criteria for SLE were recruited for assay of 25(OH)D(3) level. Disease activity was assessed by the SLEDAI and physicians' global assessment (PGA). Patients with vascular risk factors were screened for ath...