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Serological characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus from a hospital-based rheumatology clinic in Kuwait

Departments of Microbiology (Clinical Immunology Division), Kuwait University

AN Malaviya

Department of Medicine, Kuwait University, Department of Medicine, Murbarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

F. Serebour

Departments of Microbiology (Clinical Immunology Division), Kuwait University

I. Umamaheswaran

Department of Medicine, Kuwait University

R. Kumar

Division of Hematology, Adan Hospital, Ministry of Public Health, Kuwait

K. Al-Saeid

Department of Pediatrics, Kuwait University, Department of Pediatrics, Murbarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

PN Sharma

Department of Health Sciences Computer Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University

Thirty-one consecutive patients with SLE were screened for antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-DNA antibodies, extractable nuclear antigen antibodies (anti-ENAs) including anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti- SSA (anti-Ro), anti-SSB; (anti-La), anti-Sc1-70, rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), C3 and C4 levels, anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), biologically false positive serological test for syphilis (BF-STS) using VDRL test and Coombs' test. The age of the patients ranged from 11 to 52 year with a median of 29 year; female to male ratio of 5 : 1. There were 21 Kuwaitis, four Egyptians, three from the Indian subcontinent, two Filipinos and one Syrian. Main clinical categories of SLE were: mild cutaneous SLE in 12 (38.7%), clinical antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) secondary to SLE in 8 (25.8%), haematological manifestations of SLE in 5 (16.1%), renal lupus in four (12.9%), neuropsychiatric in three (9.7%), others (6.4%). Clinical features overlapped in several patients. ANA was positive in 96.8% (mean value 891.61 units/ml), anti-DNA in 35.5% (mean value 56.4 units) that was lower than expected and could be due to selection bias as the patients were from a rheumatology clinic, anti-ENA in 42%, anti-Sm 13% that was lower than other non-Caucasian populations, anti-RNP 13%, anti-SS-A in 35.5%, anti-SS-B in 19.4%, Sc1-70 in 13%, CRP in 71% (moderate 58%, very high 13%); C3 mean 1.52 mg/ml (3.2% low levels), C4 mean 0.35 mg/ml (32% low levels), anticardiolipin mean GPL 35.35 units (high 58%), mean MPL 10.61 units (high 26%), BF-STS in 6%, Coombs' test in 6%, RF positive in 36%. The only significant positive clinical associations observed were those of renal involvement with anti-DNA antibodies (P = 0.042), and clinical antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with aCL antibodies (P = < 0.05).

Key Words: clinic • Kuwait • serology • rheumatology • SLE

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