Comparison between disease onset patterns of Egyptian juvenile and adult systemic lupus erythematosus (single centre experience).

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that occurs worldwide in both children and adults, with different disease manifestations, activity and severity between them. Objectives To analyse the difference in disease onset patterns and activity in Egyptian children and adults with SLE. Methods A retrospective cohort study conducted on 298 Egyptian SLE patients, 215 adults (a-SLE) (>18 years) and 83 children (j-SLE) (≤18 years). Disease onset, clinical manifestations and laboratory investigations were recorded. The systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) was used to assess disease onset activity; renal biopsy was performed for all cases affected with renal symptoms. Results A total of 215 a-SLE (F/M: 14.4/1), mean age 29.65 ± 10.235 years, and 83 j-SLE (F/M: 5.4/1), mean age at diagnosis 12.63 ± 3.112 years. The most frequent initial a-SLE symptoms were constitutional (88.8%), mucocutaneous (71.2%), haematological (64.2%), articular (62.3%), renal (43.7%), vascular (15.3%), serositis (14.4%) and finally central nervous system (11.6%). There were no significant differences between a-SLE and j-SLE with regard to constitutional, mucocutaneous, renal, vascular and serositis manifestations, which were 92.8%, 74.7%, 53%, 16.9% and 10.8%, respectively, but the j-SLE haematological (88%) and central nervous system (30.1%) manifestations were significantly higher than a-SLE and articular manifestations were significantly lower in j-SLE (14.5%) than a-SLE. Antinuclear antibodies were positive for 95.3% of a-SLE and 97.6% of j-SLE. Anti-dsDNA was positive for 84.7% a-SLE and was significantly higher in j-SLE (92.8%). The SLEDAI score was 12.23 ± 4.966 in a-SLE and was significantly higher in j-SLE (27.13 ± 19.968). International Society of Nephrology lupus nephritis classes III and IV (42.4%) were the commonest findings in a-SLE; however, classes I and III (57.9%) were the commonest in j-SLE. Conclusions SLE had a wide variety of clinical and immunological manifestations, with some similarity and differences between a-SLE and j-SLE; juvenile onset lupus had a higher SLEDAI with more aggressive initial manifestations than a-SLE.