Clinical, Immunological & Haematological Profile Of Systemic Lupus Erythematous Patients attending Tertiary Care centre : A Cross-Sectional Study

Background & Aims: Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease which affects females more than males. This study was aimed with the objectives to correlate the patterns and clinical characteristics of Systemic Lupus Erythematous patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care centre in Western Odisha. Patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR (American College of Rheumatology) classification revised criteria of SLE were enrolled in the study from 24/02/19 to 26/2/21. After history & clinical examination these patients were subjected to various diagnostic procedures so as to confirm the diagnosis of SLE. The clinical and immunological profile of all these patients was mapped to have better understanding of the disease pattern. Results: Over a period of 2 years, a total number of 40 SLE patients were enrolled with a mean age of 30 years. Gender distribution was found to be all female patients. Patients had involvement of various systems like mucocutaneous (70%), renal (67.5%),musculoskeletal (52.5%), neurological(7.5%). The patients were positive for antibodies against dsDNA (47.5%), Ro (42.5%), nRNP (37.5%), nucleosomes (32.5%) followed by ribosomal P-protein (30%), Sm (30%), and histones (25%). Conclusion: The observations of present study suggests that SLE patients may present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations. The disease is more common in females especially during the second and third decade of life. Autoantibody profiling aids in supporting diagnosis. Vigilant evaluation of clinical pattern is required to diagnose the disease and for better treatment.