Samar Abbas Jafri, Tasnim Ahsan, Syeda Rida-e Zehra, Sadia Sultan.
Various manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presenting at the rheumatology clinic in southern Pakistan.
J Med Sci Jan ;27(3):225-9.

Objective: To know the various manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in South of Pakistan.Material and Methods: It was an observational, prospective study conducted at the Rheumatology clinic at medical unit II, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan. The duration of the study was from February 2004 to February 2014. The inclusion criterion for this study was all patients with the SLE diagnosis according to American College Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Results: The total number of patients registered in a Rheumatology Clinic during the study period was 635, 42 (6.6%)were diagnosed with SLE. The mean age was 25.40 years. Nearly half of the patients presented in their third decade of life. The most common clinical manifestation was arthritis/arthralgia in 38 patients (90.5%) followed by malar rash in 34 (81%), oral ulcers in 15 (35.7%), lupus nephritis in 8 (19.5%), lupus cerebritis in 7 (16.7%) and serositis in 4 patients(9.6%). Conclusions: The SLE patient’s data in the clinic are similar to SLE data worldwide. The most common SLE clinical manifestation seen in the study’s clinic is arthritis/arthralgia. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis &prompt treatment to prevent life-threatening and disabling complications.

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