engleski

Epidemiologic characteristics of 333 Croatian patients with SLE based on ACR classification criteria

SLE is a disease with broad spectrum of clinical features. The prevalence of different clinical manifestations depends on racial, geographical and socioeconomic differences between populations. Epidemiologic studies use classification criteria (CC) for SLE made by American Colleague of Rheumatology (ACR). The CC is made on statistically most often clinical manifestations of SLE. Combinations of ≥ 4 CC has sensitivity and specificity of 97%. There is no epidemiologic study on incidence and prevalence on SLE in Croatia. This study represents a pilot study on epidemiology of SLE in the city of Zagreb and its county. Clinical records of 333 SLE patients in whom the diagnosis has been established on routine clinical basis were chosen from database (number represents approximately 1/3 of all SLE patients). Patients who fulfilled 4 or more ACR CC were separated. Group of 162 from 333 patients fulfilled 4 and more ACR CC (145 F ; 17 M) and for them we have calculated frequency of ACR CC in three different times of observation. Average age in the group was 46, 7 (median 47 ; range 19-81) with no major sex differences. At the time of the disease innitiation, data were available for only 78/162 patients due to retrospective nature of the study and arthritis was the most frequent ACR criterium at this time (41/78 ; 52, 6%). At the time of diagnosis data were avaliable for 125/162 patients and antinuclear antibodies titer was the most frequent criterium (110/125 ; 88%) followed by immunologic, articular and haematologic criteria. At the time of this study the most frequent ACR CC were positive titer of ANA in 155/162 (95, 78%), and the lowest frequency had neuropsychiatric criterium, which has been found in 9/162 (5, 6%). Frequency of an individual CC for SLE changes during the course of the disease. It is not unexpected since routine diagnosis of SLE depends on clinical and laboratory workup and not on CC which are designed for epidemiologic studies. Results of this retrospective pilot study of SLE patients in Croatia are similar to results of published studies within similar populations.

SLE; ACR classification criteria

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