Clinical characteristics and laboratory profile of childhood systemic lupus erythematosus in a tertiary care center

Abstract

Objectives: To study the clinical characteristics and laboratory profile of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in children in a tertiary care center. Methods: Children presenting to our tertiary care center with suspected SLE, fulfilling at least 4 out of 11 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for the diagnosis of SLE were reviewed retrospectively. The study period was from June 2012 to May 2015. The clinical presentation and laboratory parameters were analyzed. Results: A total of 14 patients fulfilled the ACR criteria; there were 12 girls and 2 boys with a sex ratio of 1:6 favoring girls. The mean age on presentation was 9.8 years with a range of 3-15 years. At presentation, 70% of the children had features not suggestive of SLE. The most common symptom was fever seen in 100% of the patients, followed by hematological abnormalities in 78%, and renal involvement in 57% patients. Arthritis, skin lesions, and pulmonary involvement were seen in 42% of the patients. The gastrointestinal presentation was seen in 21% of the patients. Conclusion: SLE has a varied clinical presentation depending on the predominant organ involved. A high index of suspicion is required for the early diagnosis of SLE in children.