Nearly one-third of men with SLE develop serositis

Male gender and CrithidiaDNA+ are risk factors for serositis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study.

Serositis is associated with high morbidity and its prevalence is between approximately 11% and 54%.

In this retrospective case-control study of 297 patients with SLE, the overall prevalence of serositis was 9.42%; this was the first manifestation in 40.7%. Prevalence was 30% in men and 7.9% in women.

Patients with serositis received more corticosteroid pulses and higher maximum doses compared to other severe manifestations seen in SLE, “which could imply a more aggressive form of SLE in patients with serositis,” the authors wrote.

Reference
Gimeno-Torres L, Carrión-Barberà I, Durán X, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for serositis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study. Lupus. 2021;doi: 10.1177/09612033211049305. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34794346.