Lupus Erythematosus

Basics

Description

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by production of antibodies to various components of the cell nucleus and tissues, in conjunction with a variety of clinical manifestations.

Epidemiology

Age: 20% of lupus begins in childhood, but it is very rare in <5 years old.
Female-to-male ratio: between 3 to 5:1 (prepubertal) and 9 to 10:1 (postpubertal)
SLE occurs about 3 times more often in African Americans than Caucasians. It is also more common in Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans.

Incidence

Peak incidence: between ages 15 and 40 years
Incidence in children is from 10 to 20 cases per 100,000 children per year.

Prevalence

5,000 to 10,000 children in the United States

Risk Factors

Genetics

Increased frequency in 1st-degree family members of patients with SLE
10% of patients have ≥1 affected relative.
Concordance rate of 25–50% in monozygotic twins and 5% in dizygotic twins
Some major histocompatibility complex antigens are associated with increased incidence of lupus, such as HLA-DR2 and DR3 in whites and DR2 and DR7 in blacks.

Etiology

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, with multiple genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors playing a role.

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