Systemic lupus erythematosus among Arabs.

Background: The prevalence of clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters in systemic lupus erythematosus differ among various ethnic groups. Few studies have reported on SLE in Arabs.

Objectives: To summarize the demographic, clinical and laboratory features of Arab SLE patients and to compare them with other series from different Arab countries.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of all Arab SLE patients who had been seen at the Carmel Medical Center in Halfa, the Nazareth Hospital and the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth, and a professional clinic (a referral outpatient clinic of the largest health maintenance organization in Israel) in Acre--all cities in northern Israel. Only patients with symptoms of more than one year were included. Demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters were documented and compared with those of four series from different Arab countries.

Results: The study group comprised 34 patients. The majority of the patients was Moslem; there were a few Druze and one Christian. There was no statistical difference between our patients and any of the other Arab series in terms of arthritis, neuropsychiatric manifestations and VDRL. The presence of serositis and mucocutaneous manifestations was significantly lower in our series compared to some of the other series. However, there was significantly less renal involvement in our patients compared to each of the other series.

Conclusions: The prevalence of most clinical and laboratory parameters in Israeli Arab SLE patients is comparable to that of other series of SLE patients from different Arab countries. The prevalence of renal involvement in Israeli Arab SLE patients seems to be lower than in SLE patients from different Arab countries.