Metabolic syndrome in Iranian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and its determinants.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Iranian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its determinants. In a cross-sectional study, 98 patients with SLE and 95 controls were enrolled. Prevalence of MetS was determined based on American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) and 2009 harmonizing criteria. In addition, demographic features and lupus characteristics such as disease duration, pharmacological treatment, laboratory data, SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage index (SDI) were recorded. The predictors of MetS were obtained by backward stepwise regression analysis. Using AHA/NHLBI, MetS was observed in 35 (35.7%) patients and 28 (29.8%) controls (P = 0.4). Using harmonizing criteria, MetS was observed in 37 (37.7%) patients and 33 (35.1%) controls (P = 0.7). There was no difference in frequency distribution of MetS components between the patients and the controls. In multivariate regression analysis, low C3, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and body mass index were independent determinants of MetS in lupus patients. BUN, low C3, and body mass index were the major determinants of MetS in lupus patients.

Sensitivity analyses of four systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity indices in predicting the treatment changes in consecutive visits: a longitudinal study.

This study was conducted to assess the ability of the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-2004 (BILAG-2004), the SLE Disease Activity Index-2K (SLEDAI-2K), the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM), and the Revised Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM-R) to detect the need to treatment change in daily clinical practice. One hundred and two patients with SLE were enrolled and followed up for 2 to 8 months and visited at least 3 times. Physician Global Assessment, BILAG-2004, SLEDAI-2K, SLAM-R, and ECLAM, were calculated in every visit. Treatment change, dependent variable, was categorized as decrease/no change vs. increase. The aforementioned indices, independent variables, were compared to learn their ability in predicting the treatment change. The probability of treatment change was measured by generalized linear-mixed effect model (GLMM) and generalized estimating equations (GEE). Adjusted odds ratios were calculated. Predictive power of indices was compared by area under the curve (AUC) in plots of sensitivity vs. 1-specificity and application of receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). BILAG-2004 and SLEDAI-2K had substantial correlation with treatment change. Among different GLMM models, BILAG-2004 followed by SLEDAI-2K showed the highest associations with treatment change. Among various GEE models, similar findings were observed. Also, these 2 indices had the highest sensitivity (the largest AUC) towards treatment change; BILAG-2004 (AUC = 0.779, 95% CI = 0.710-0.848, p = 0.001) and SLEDAI-2K (AUC = 0.771, 95% CI = 0.698-0.843, p = 0.001). BILAG-2004 followed by SLEDAI-2K had the highest predictability of treatment change.

Comparison Study on the Effect of Treatment Decision Based on Renal Biopsy and Clinical Symptoms in the Outcome of Patients with Recurrent Lupus Nephritis.

BACKGROUND: Renal involvement in systemic lupus erythematous is one of the most serious complications. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of treatment decisions based on clinical symptoms and renal biopsy on the outcome of patients with recurrent lupus nephritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted in 2012-13 in the Alzahra hospital on patients with lupus nephritis who had referred to the rheumatology clinic of this center due to lupus nephritis relapse. All lupus nephritis patients were diagnosed with renal biopsy and had gone into remission by treatment but due to the discontinuation of treatment and other causes had relapsed. The patients were divided randomly into two groups of 26, the first group was treated without renal biopsy and based on clinical and laboratory symptoms and the second group was re-biopsied through considering the ethical points. Then their relationship with laboratory findings (BUN, Cr, ANA, ds-DNA, C3, C4, CH50, U/A, cast, and proteinuria), treatment and recurrence outcome were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean of SLEDAI-2K index before initial treatment, after the first round of treatment and after the second round of treatment in single biopsy group and twice biopsy group is not significantly different (P = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment decisions based on clinical and laboratory findings or re-biopsy of the kidney in patients who relapsed after initial treatment had no significant effect on the recovery of patients. Adoption of a treatment plan in patients with lupus nephritis is recommended based on clinical and laboratory finding and the discretion of the physician and if possible, kidney re-biopsy should be avoided.

Agreement of clinical examination and ultrasound methods for detection of joints involvements in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial tissue inflammation and destruction of articular components which if not controlled properly, can cause disability in patients. For this reason, evaluation of disease activity and its control is very important. In recent years using sonography is promising for the evaluation of disease activity. This study aimed to compare "clinical examination" and "ultrasonography" methods in the detection of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015 in Al-Zahra Hospital of Isfahan. Based on the American College of Rheumatology 2010 criteria, ninety patients with rheumatoid arthritis who diagnosed by rheumatologist entered into the study. All patients, collaborator by radiologists were subjected to sonography of specific joints structures using two methods, i.e., high-resolution ultrasonography and power Doppler. RESULTS: A total of 2520 joints from ninety patients were examined by physical examination and ultrasonography that 244 joints (9.7%) in physical examination and 348 joints (13.4%) in ultrasonography were involved and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Probably, ultrasonography can diagnose joint involvement better than physical examination in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis.

Prognostic factors of mortality in Iranian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus admitted to intensive care unit.

The aim was to determine the course, outcome, and determinants of mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in intensive care unit (ICU). SLE patients admitted to ICU from 2004 to 2015 were recruited retrospectively. Demographic data, disease characteristics, causes of admission, baseline SLE disease activity index-2K (SLEDAI-2K) and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE) score, the outcome, and the causes of death were recorded. Predictors of mortality were compared between alive and dead patients by Cox regression analysis. Ninety-four patients with SLE were enrolled. Mean age at the time of ICU admission was 29.6 years. Average scores of SLEDAI and APACHE II were 11.3 and 19.8, respectively. The most common causes of ICU admission were pneumonia, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), and seizure. Forty-seven patients (50%) died in ICU. The principal causes of death were septic shock (25.5%), multi-organ failure (12.5%), DAH (10.6%), and pneumonia (10.6%). After multivariate analysis, high APACHE II, septic shock, and duration of mechanical ventilation were indicators of survival outcome. Mean (95% CI) survival days in ICU in patients with and without respiratory failure were 14.6 (10.4-18.9) and 28.7 (17.9-39.5) days, respectively (P = 0.001). This figure for those with and without septic shock was 13.5 (4.9-11.1) and 22.3 (9.3-24.7) days, respectively (P = 0.016). High APACHE II, septic shock, and duration of mechanical ventilation were the main predictors of death in patients with SLE in ICU. Multicenter studies are needed to draw a fine picture of SLE behavior in ICU.

Anti-C1q antibody in patients with lupus nephritic flare: 18-month follow-up and a nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: A prospective cohort was conducted to investigate the association of anti-C1q antibody and lupus/lupus nephritis (LN) flare. METHODS: Sixty-nine consecutive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were enrolled and followed up for 18 months. Anti-C1q was recorded at the first visit and at the time of flare. For patients with flare, age and sex matched SLE patients were considered as the control group (nested case-control study). The predictability of anti-C1q and other laboratory indices for LN flare during the 18-month follow-up was calculated. RESULTS: Fourteen out of sixty-nine (20%) had lupus flare. Fourteen patients were chosen as controls. Nine cases and three controls had positive anti-C1q at the first visit (p = 0.0001). Twenty-six (38%) and 43 (62%) patients had positive and negative anti-C1q antibody at the first visit, respectively, of whom 9 (34.5%) and 3 (7%) patients developed LN flare in the next 18 months (p = 0.003). Anti-C1q and 24-hour urine protein were found as the main predictors of LN flare. The positive and negative predictive values of anti-C1q for LN flare were 35% and 93%, respectively. Predictive values of positive anti-C1q/low C3 together were 60% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The combination of positive anti-C1q/low C3 had the highest reasonable predictive values for LN flare.

Atorvastatin effect on systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of atorvastatin on systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI). Ninety patients with SLE were consented and randomized to receive either atorvastatin, 20 mg/day, or placebo for 3 months. The primary outcome was change in SLEDAI. Lipids, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed as secondary end points. Analysis was done by "intention to treat" (ITT) as the primary analysis and "treatment completed analysis" (TCA) as the supplementary analysis. Demographic features, baseline characteristics, and distribution of medications were not significantly different between the two groups. Mean SLEDAI score at baseline in both groups was 3 ± 0.5. By TCA and ITT, mean SLEDAI scores decreased to 1.7 ± 0.4 and 2.7 ± 0.5, respectively, in the atorvastatin group and 3 ± 0.4 and 3 ± 0.5, respectively, in the control group. The difference between the two groups after intervention was significant by TCA (P < 0.05) and nonsignificant by ITT analysis (P = 0.1). The effect of atorvastatin therapy on lupus activity was inconclusive.

Long-term outcome of biopsy-proven lupus nephritis in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to evaluate the survival of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) in two different lupus clinics in Iran. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study covering 82 patients diagnosed with biopsy-proven LN hospitalized between 1994 until 2010. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, therapeutic and end-point data were collected. Renal biopsies were categorized according to the 2004 classification of the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS). Survival plots, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied. RESULTS: Female/male ratio was 65/17. Mortality rate was 6.1% (five patients). Fifty-five (67%), 18 (22%), and four (4.9%) patients had complete/partial remission, chronic renal failure (CRF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), respectively. Renal biopsies showed 0, three (3.7%), 18 (22%), 58 (70.7%), two (2.4%) and 0 patients with ISN/RPS classes I, II, III, IV, V and VI, respectively, and one patient (1.2%) with mixed class (IV and V). The 5, 10 and 15 year survival rates for living patients were 97%, 92% and 69%, respectively. When CRF, ESRD and death were considered as one category of poor patient outcome, the 5, 10 and 15 year survival rates for remission were 87%, 47% and 35%, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated the following independent protectives against poor outcome: class II nephritis (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-0.85), class III nephritis (HR = 0.002; 95% CI, 0-0.036) and time passed since SLE diagnosis (HR = 0.006; 95% CI, 0-0.1). CONCLUSION: Survival rates of Iranian patients with LN were comparable with those of developed countries.

The role of lupus nephritis in development of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the relationship of lupus nephritis (LN) with fetal and maternal outcomes of pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: In a retrospective study, profiles of pregnant women with SLE were selected. Before pregnancy and at the end of first, second and third trimesters, SLE disease activity index-2K was assessed. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were carried out regularly. Maternal and fetal outcomes were recorded. Assessments of the crude effects of statistically significant variables on pregnancy outcomes were performed through multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: 72 pregnancies in 65 patients were recorded. The mean age of LN patients was 28.7 years, whereas the mean age of patients with clinical nephritis was 26.1 years. No woman with LN experienced pre-term labor or stillbirth. 16 pregnancies either ended in abortion or experienced preeclampsia of which seven had LN. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that LN and positive antinuclear antibody were related to preeclampsia, whereas age of SLE development was associated with pre-term labor. Combined maternal and fetal outcomes were associated with the past history of abortion and LN. LN was associated with preeclampsia and SLE flare. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of LN was in favor of prevention of SLE flare and preeclampsia.

Evaluation of vasomotor reactivity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and its comparison with the control group.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric abnormalities are among the most common manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They have been proposed to be associated with impaired cerebral blood flow (CBF). Cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR) is a hemodynamic parameter effective in the autoregulation of CBF. The aim of the present study is to determine and compare the VMR of women with stable SLE and normal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: According to the study criteria 60 women in each group entered the study. VMR was evaluated with Transcranial Doppler (TCD) at rest and after one minute of breath holding. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the mean of age between two groups (31.76 ± 7.50 years in the SLE group versus 32.43 ± 4.55 years in the control group, P value: 0.64). The mean duration of SLE in the case group was 5.40 ± 3.60 years. The means of the Breath-Holding Index (BHI) in the SLE and control groups were 0.842 ± 0.72% and 0.815 ± 0.26%, respectively, which was not significantly different (P value: 0.82). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the VMR of women with stable SLE is not significantly different from the age- and sex-matched normal population. However, further investigations on patients with longer SLE duration and more neuropsychological abnormality rates are suggested.

A case of SLE with bilateral osteonecrosis of femoral heads and bone infarct in distal of femur.

Osteonecrosis of bone is a major cause of morbidity in lupus patients, and is most common in the femoral head. It has been reported in wide range of patients (2-30%). In different studies presence of arthritis, Raynaud phenomenon, vasculitis, pleuritis, antiphospholipid and other factors were associated with this occurrence. Bone infarcts were also associated with these factors. We report a 21-year-old patient who was diagnosed as SLE about 3 years ago. When the patient was stable with hydroxychloroquine and prednisolone referred to rheumatologic clinic for mechanical knee pain, in evaluation she had bone infarct in distal femur. Two months later she came back with bilateral hip pain, and in evaluation she had bilateral osteonecrosis of femoral heads. There are many reports of femoral head osteonecrosis in lupus patients, and also one report of multiple bone infarct and pain in SLE, but we did not find any report of these two phenomena together in a patient whose disease was controlled and she took minimum of steroid and DMARD in the about 2-month follow-up, and this was very interesting for us.