Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by immune system dysfunction and is clinically heterogeneous, exhibiting renal, dermatological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular symptoms. Clinical and physiological assessment is usually inadequate for diagnosing and assessing pathophysiological processes in SLE. Clinical and immunological biomarkers could play a critical role in improving diagnosis, assessment, and ultimately, control of SLE. This article reviews clinical and immunological biomarkers that could diagnose and monitor disease activity in SLE, with and without organ-specific injury. In addition, novel SLE biomarkers that have been discovered through “omics” research are also reviewed.
Highlights
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by aberrant activity of the immune system [1] and presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including renal, dermatological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular symptoms [2]
antinuclear antibody (ANA) detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on HEp-2 cells has long been regarded as a pivotal immunological biomarker in serum for classifying a patient with SLE, as well as assessing eligibility for SLE [25,26,27,28]
Anti-doublestranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies are biomarkers that are associated with SLE disease activity [50,51], and they can predict the development of Lupus Nephritis (LN) [51]
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by aberrant activity of the immune system [1] and presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including renal, dermatological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular symptoms [2]. The incidence of SLE is 0.3–31.5 in 100,000 per year, and the adjusted prevalence is approaching, or even exceeding, 50–100 in 100,000 [3]. There appears to be a trend of increasing SLE prevalence with time [4]. SLE is an important social and public health problem, as the medication and multidisciplinary approach for treating SLE can only control the symptoms and delay the progression of the disease but cannot cure it completely [1]. It is critical to improve the ability to diagnose SLE early for effective treatment. Biomarkers, especially immunological biomarkers, have emerged to help better diagnose SLE and assess its pathophysiological processes, with the ultimate goal of improving control of the disease. The aim of the current study was to review immunological biomarkers for SLE diagnosis and pathophysiological process assessment
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