Clinical features, damage accrual, and survival in patients with familial systemic lupus erythematosus: data from a multi-ethnic, multinational Latin American lupus cohort.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the clinical features, damage accrual, and survival of patients with familial and sporadic systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: A multi-ethnic, multinational Latin American SLE cohort was studied. Familial lupus was defined as patients with a first-degree SLE relative; these relatives were interviewed in person or by telephone.

Assessment of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) performance for the diagnosis of anxiety in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) is described in 12-95% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anxiety disorders are among the most frequent manifestations of NPSLE, occurring in 4-85% of these patients. Several diagnostic tools, such as Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), have been used to assess anxiety in clinical studies in SLE, but there is a lack of data on the performance of these questionnaires in the disease.

Factors predictive of high disease activity early in the course of SLE in patients from a Latin-American cohort.

Aims: To determine the factors predictive of disease activity early in the course of SLE (baseline visit).

Methods: Patients from GLADEL, a multi-national, multi-ethnic, Latin-American lupus cohort were included. Disease activity was evaluated at baseline with the SLEDAI score.

The number of flares patients experience impacts on damage accrual in systemic lupus erythematosus: data from a multiethnic Latin American cohort.

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 Activity Index (SLEDAI) and damage with the SLICC/ACR Damage Index (SDI).

Clinical and serological manifestations associated with interferon-α levels in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To determine the serum levels of interferon alpha in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients, their first-degree relatives and healthy controls and to evaluate the associations between serum interferon alpha and disease activity, laboratory findings and treatment features.

Methods: We screened consecutive childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients in a longitudinal cohort at the pediatric rheumatology unit of the State University of Campinas between 2009 and 2010. All patients demonstrated disease onset before the age of 16.

Childhood systemic lupus erythematosus in Latin America. The GLADEL experience in 230 children.

To evaluate disease characteristics of childhood onset SLE in Latin America and to compare this information with an adult population in the same cohort of GLADEL. A protocol was designed as a multicenter, multinational, inception cohort of lupus patients to evaluate demographic, clinical, laboratory and serological variables, as well as classification criteria, disease activity, organ damage and mortality. Descriptive statistics, chi square, Fisher's exact test, Student's t test and multiple logistic regression were used to compare childhood and adult onset SLE.