Prevalence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the United States: Estimates From a Meta‐Analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Lupus Registries

Abstract

Objective. Epidemiologic data on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are limited, particularly for racial/ethnic subpopulations in the US. This meta-analysis leveraged data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Lupus Registry network of population-based SLE registries to estimate the overall prevalence of SLE in the US.Methods. The CDC National Lupus Registry network includes 4 registries from unique states and a fifth registry from the Indian Health Service. All registries defined cases of SLE according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997 revised classification criteria for SLE. Case findings spanned either 2002-2004 or 2007-2009. Given the heterogeneity across sites, a random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of SLE. An estimate of the number of SLE cases in the US was generated by applying sex/race-stratified estimates to the 2018 US Census population.Results. In total, 5,417 cases were identified as fulfilling the ACR SLE classification criteria. The pooled prevalence of SLE from the 4 state-specific registries was 72.8 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 65.3-81.0). The prevalence estimate was 9 times higher among females than among males (128.7 versus 14.6 per 100,000), and highest among Black females (230.9 per 100,000), followed by Hispanic females (120.7 per 100,000), White females (84.7 per 100,000), and Asian/Pacific Islander females (84.4 per 100,000). Among males, the prevalence of SLE was highest in Black males (26.7 per 100,000), followed by Hispanic males (18.0 per 100,000), Asian/Pacific Islander males (11.2 per 100,000), and White males (8.9 per 100,000). The American Indian/Alaska Native population had the highest race-specific SLE estimates, both among females (270.6 per 100,000) and among males (53.8 per 100,000). In 2018, an estimated 204,295 individuals (95% CI 160,902-261,725) in the US fulfilled the ACR classification criteria for SLE.Conclusion. A coordinated network of population-based SLE registries provides more accurate estimates of the prevalence of SLE and the numbers of individuals affected with SLE in the US in 2018.

Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A 2021 Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Current Challenges

“…SLE generally affects females of childbearing age range from 15 to 44 years with a ratio of 13:1 in females compared to males [ 2 ]. Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported almost 0.32 million cases of SLE in the USA in 2021 [ 3 ]. Prevalence of SLE is rising, most likely due to an increase in early diagnosis of the disease and improved survival with advancements in disease pathology, diagnosis, and treatment.…”

Multilevel modeling of county-level excessive alcohol use, rurality, and COVID-19 case fatality rates in the US

“…COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is an ongoing global pandemic. At this writing (January, 2021), the US has seen more cases than any other country, with more than 20 million reported cases and surpassing 350,000 deaths [ 1 ]. Co-occurring and pre-existing health conditions exacerbate susceptibility to and the severity of COVID-19 infections [ 2 ].…”

Exploring Macrophage Activation Syndrome Secondary to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Also, it was evident that most SLE patients were females and MAS episodes were also observed in higher numbers in females except in Ahn et al's [16] study where 68% of episodes were reported in females but still a higher percentage (32%) were males. It is known that the female:male ratio in SLE patients is 10:1, but the female:male ratio of MAS in SLE patients in Ahn et al's study was 1.4:1 [1,16]. The combined total numbers of females were 166 to 44 males with a ratio of 3.77 to 1 in seven out of eight studies [14,[16][17][18][19][20][21]; this may point towards males as being an independent risk factor that can lead to MAS in lupus patients.…”

“…Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex disease with a multitude of presentations and complications making it a notorious mimicker of other disease processes. In the United States, SLE has a prevalence of 73 per 100,000 person-years with women nine times more likely to be affected than men [1]. In addition, the disease is more common in individuals from Africa, followed by Asians and Hispanics, and least common in Caucasians [2].…”