A clinical and epidemiological study of lupus erythematosus at a tertiary referral dermatology clinic in Korea

Abstract

Dermatological examination is critical for the evaluation of lupus erythematosus. However, little is known about the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the lupus erythematosus patients that visit dermatology clinics with the chief complaint of skin lesions, especially among Asian populations. We performed this study to determine the epidemiology of cutaneous lupus erythematosus for three subtypes: acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and for lupus erythematosus non-specific skin disease. Also, we sought to determine the relationship between each type of lupus erythematosus, by the skin manifestations and systemic lupus erythematosus. The medical records of lupus erythematosus patients that were diagnosed by their clinical manifestations, skin biopsy results, and laboratory findings from January 1998 through December 2007 were reviewed. A total of 117 patients were diagnosed with lupus erythematosus; 62 cases had chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, 11 had subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and 41 had acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. The remaining three had systemic lupus erythematosus features with lupus erythematosus non-specific skin lesions such as Raynaud phenomenon, livedo reticularis/vasculitis, non-scarring alopecia, and periungual telangiectasia. The acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus subgroup showed extreme female predominance (9.2:1) whereas subacute and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus subgroups did not. Patients with chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus tended to be older than other groups (peak incidence in the fifth decade). Incidence of laboratory abnormalities, including positive connective tissue markers such as antinuclear, double-strand DNA, and Ro/SS-A antibodies, were present in the order acute, subacute, and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus almost always indicated systemic involvement of lupus erythematosus, whereas chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus did not predict the development or existence of systemic lupus erythematosus and had a benign clinical course. Careful consideration of lupus erythematosus non-specific skin lesions may help detect systemic lupus erythematosus regardless of the diagnosis of cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Racial Disparities in the Incidence of Primary Chronic Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus in the Southeastern US: The Georgia Lupus Registry

“…DLE has a relatively characteristic clinicopathologic description and has been recognized in individuals of all races (12)(13)(14)(15). Although DLE is less likely to be associated with SLE (2) than with…”

“…DLE has a relatively characteristic clinical-pathological description and has been recognized in individuals of all races 12–15 . Although DLE is less likely associated with SLE 2 than other CLE subtypes, only a few population-based studies have estimated the incidence of DLE in absence of SLE (or “primary” DLE) 4, 15–17 .…”

Standard medical care of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in large specialised centres: data from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Republic of Kazakhstan (ESSENCE)

“…As SLE is a serious disease with potentially severe outcomes, it is important to understand how SLE presents and is managed across different geographical regions and settings. There are several recent studies describing SLE epidemiology, clinical features and healthcare use in different populations: Asians, 7 Europeans, 2 8 Americans 9 and African Caribbean. 10 A large retrospective study evaluating patients’ characteristics, disease activity and severity, flare assessments and health resource use was conducted in five European countries recently.…”

Dermatological Manifestations of Connective Tissue Diseases in Black People

“…Classic erythema in vespertilio of the SLE which is very characteristic on white skin [16,17] takes a misleading hyperchromic aspect on black skin. The difficulty of recognition of this characteristic sign could account for its underestimation observed in the studies conducted in black African [18].…”