Survival rate among Thai systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the era of aggressive treatment

Genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in the type I interferon system (STAT4 and IRF5): association with Asian SLE patients

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease with a polymorphic clinical presentation involving multisystem damages with significant differences in prevalence and disease severity among different ethnic groups. Although genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors have been demonstrated to contribute a lot to SLE, the pathogenesis of SLE is still unknown. Numerous evidence revealed that gene variants within the type I interferons (IFN) signaling pathway performed the great genetic associations with autoimmune diseases including SLE. To date, through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genetic association studies showed that more than 100 susceptibility genes have been linked to the pathogenesis of SLE, among which TYK2, STAT1, STAT4, and IRF5 are important molecules directly connected to the type I interferon signaling system. The review summarized the genetic associations and the detailed risk loci of STAT4 and IRF5 with Asian SLE patients, explored the genotype distributions associated with the main clinical manifestations of SLE, and sorted out the potential reasons for the differences in susceptibility in Asia and Europe. Moreover, the therapies targeting STAT4 and IRF5 were also evaluated in order to propose more personalized and targeted treatment plans in SLE.

Hydroxychloroquine use reduces mortality risk in systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Objective

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is widely used in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but its effects on the mortality have not reached a definite conclusion. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to assess whether HCQ use could reduce the risk of mortality in SLE patients.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane database were searched from inception to April 17, 2022 without language restrictions to explore the relationship between HCQ use and SLE mortality. The relative risk (HR) was pooled using the STATA software.

Results

A total of 21 studies with a pooled patient population of 26,037 were included in the study, including 14 studies on the association between HCQ alone and mortality risk and seven studies on the association between HCQ/chloroquine (CQ) and mortality risk. The pooled findings suggested that HCQ significantly reduced the overall mortality risk of SLE (pooled HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.38–0.57, p < 0.001). In subgroup analysis of SLE complications, HCQ use also decreased the risk of death in SLE patients with renal (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.26–0.70, p = 0.001) and cardiopulmonary involvement (HR=0.37, 95% CI= 0.25–0.54, p < 0.001). In addition, HCQ use was also protective against the risk of mortality in SLE patients in different regions, such as Asia (HR=0.46, 95% CI=0.33–0.64, p < 0.001), Europe (HR= 0.40, 95% CI = 0.22–0.71, p = 0.002), and America (HR=0.52, 95% CI= 0.42–0.64, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our data suggested that HCQ use was associated with a reduced risk of mortality in patients with SLE.

Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with protean manifestations that predominantly affects young women. Certain ethnic groups are more vulnerable than others to developing SLE and experience increased morbidity and mortality. Reports of the global incidence and prevalence of SLE vary widely, owing to inherent variation in population demographics, environmental exposures and socioeconomic factors. Differences in study design and case definitions also contribute to inconsistent reporting. Very little is known about the incidence of SLE in Africa and Australasia. Identifying and remediating such gaps in epidemiology is critical to understanding the global burden of SLE and improving patient outcomes. Mortality from SLE is still two to three times higher than that of the general population. Internationally, the frequent causes of death for patients with SLE include infection and cardiovascular disease. Even without new therapies, mortality can potentially be mitigated with enhanced quality of care. This Review focuses primarily on the past 5 years of global epidemiological studies and discusses the regional incidence and prevalence of SLE and top causes of mortality.

Trend of Survival of a Cohort of Chinese Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Over 25 Years

Objectives: To revisit the trend of survival of systemic lupus erythematosus in a cohort of Chinese patients over 25 years. Methods: Patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR criteria for SLE and were followed in our hospital since 1995 were included. Patients were stratified into two groups according to the year of diagnosis: (1) 1995-2004 and (2) 2005-2018. Survival of patients was studied by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Organ damage as assessed by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) damage index (SDI) and causes of death in the first 10 years of SLE onset was compared between the two groups. Cox regression was used to study factors associated with survival. Results: A total of 1,098 SLE patients were registered in our database. After excluding 157 patients diagnosed outside the time period of 1995-2018, 941 patients were studied (92% women). All were ethnic Chinese. The mean age of SLE onset was 35.1 ± 14.4 years, and the mean duration of observation was 13.1 ± 6.6 years. Seventy-seven (8.2%) patients were lost to follow-up. Groups 1 and 2 consisted of 364 and 577 patients, respectively. The mean SDI score at 10 years of disease onset was significantly higher in group 1 than group 2 patients (1.01 ± 1.43 vs. 0.57 ± 0.94; p < 0.01), particularly in the neuropsychiatric, musculoskeletal, and gonadal domains. Within 10 years of SLE onset, 32 (8.8%) patients in group 1 and 25 (4.3%) patients in group 2 died (p = 0.005). The 5- and 10-year cumulative survival rates were 93.6 and 91.0% in group 1 and 96.5 and 94.2% in group 2 patients, respectively (log-rank test p = 0.048). Infection accounted for more than half of the deaths in both groups. More group 1 than group 2 patients died of vascular events, but the difference was not statistically significant. Cox regression showed that the age of SLE onset and damage score accrued at 10 years, but not the time period in which SLE was diagnosed, were significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions: The improvement in survival of our SLE patients is probably related to the accrual of less organ damage in the past 15 years.

Predictive factors of quality of life among systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Thailand: a web-based cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to assess mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) and explore factors associated with the disease-specific quality of life among Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients in Thailand.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used an online convenience sampling of 650 SLE patients who were registered members of the Thailand SLE Club. The study survey comprised of demographic information, health history, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS), and Lupus Quality of Life Scale (LupusQoL).

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 61.2%. Out of 344 respondents, most were female (96.9%). The scores were suggestive of the presence of mild depression and stress, but moderate anxiety. The higher depression, anxiety, and stress levels were associated with lower education and income (r =  - .14 to - .29, p < .01) and higher number of SLE symptoms (r = .17 to .33, p < .05). Better quality of life was significantly related to lower number of symptoms, lower levels of stress/anxiety/depression, higher education, and better income. Also, the longer the patients were kept out of the hospital (last hospitalization), the better their quality of life. By using hierarchical multiple regression, four predictors of the quality of life were identified; the number of symptoms, stress, anxiety, and depression. These predictors combined explained 51% of the variance, F(5,108) = 24.34, p < .001, adjusted R² = .51.

CONCLUSIONS

To improve the quality of life, SLE patients should focus on self-management of their symptoms. Health care providers should include SLE self-care health education in the plan of care. They also should use multidisciplinary approach in order to provide holistic treatment, including psychological care.

An insight into rheumatology in Thailand

Despite the fact that rheumatic diseases constitute a common health care problem in Thailand, improvements in rheumatology education, research and health care are still required. Low numbers of rheumatologists, their uneven distribution, lack of time to perform both clinical and basic research, lack of patient compliance and restricted access to effective medication comprise some of the barriers that need to be overcome to establish rheumatology education, research and care with a Western-country benchmark. The annual academic activities provided by the Thai Rheumatism Association for rheumatologists, general practitioners, allied health professionals and patients can advance only some forms of education and health care. Better cooperation between the Thai Rheumatism Association, the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health and the Thai government is needed to improve rheumatology training, care and research in the country.

Trends in systemic lupus erythematosus mortality in Spain from 1981 to 2010

Background

Incidence and mortality of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) seem to be increasing in the last few decades, in contrast to the survival rate that has improved over time. The objective of this study was to examine the trends in the SLE mortality in Spain over a 30-year period (1981–2010).

Methods

Data on SLE deaths were drawn from the National Statistics Institute of Spain. Crude and overall age-standardized SLE mortality rates were calculated and joinpoint regression models were used to describe trend changes. Mean age of deaths by SLE each year was also assessed.

Results

The overall age-standardized SLE mortality rate was 1.82 per million in 1981 and 2.24 in 2010. It was higher in women, 1.39 vs 0.43 in 1981 and 1.96 vs 0.28 in 2010. There was a statistically significant change in 1999. The overall age-standardized mortality rate increased from 1981 to 1999 and stabilized from 2000 to 2010. Only male rates decreased from 2000 to 2010. The mean age at death increased with time, from 42 years in 1981 to 61 years in 2010.

Conclusions

In conclusion, a slight decrease in SLE mortality has been observed in Spain over the last decade and future studies would be needed to explain the factors contributing to the improvement in the mortality rates.