[Morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus].

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that can affect any organ system, mostly central and peripheral nervous system, lungs, heart, kidneys, skin, serous membranes, and components of blood. Lupus is more prevalent in females, has no etiology, and has a distinct association with several immune response genes. Understanding and treatment of lupus has progressed in the last decade, contributing to the improvement in survival and quality of life. Improvement in prognosis is associated with many factors including the socioeconomic state, advanced medicine, and access to medical sources. Three aspects of the disease are necessary to establish and describe the prognosis in SLE: disease activity, accumulated damage, and health status/quality of life.