Cutaneous manifestations among hospitalized systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract EN

Objective : to evaluate the cutaneous manifestations of hospitalized patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

design : a retrospective study.

setting : asir central hospital (ACH), Abha, Saudi Arabia.

method : admitted SLE patients from January 2012 to May 2017 were reviewed.

the following data were documented : personal characteristics, disease diagnosis and duration, comorbidities, cutaneous features, hospitalizations including indication, length and outcome of each admission.

result : two hundred seven SLE patients from January 2012 to May 2017 were admitted.

thirty one patients had concomitant cutaneous manifestations.

the age ranged from 13-78 years.

thirty (96.8%) were females.

the average number of hospitalizations for all SLE patients was 2+1.

the most common indication for hospitalization was musculoskeletal complaints in 15 (48%) patients, followed by hematological causes in 13 (42%), lupus nephritis in 11 (35%), and infection in one (3%) of cases.

conclusion : the skin is commonly involved in SLE and should be always evaluated and controlled to minimize hospitalizations and improve the prognosis of SLE.