Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus and risk factors in rural areas of Anhui Province

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe complex rheumatic disease, but good estimate of its prevalence and risk factors is lacking in China. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of SLE and risk factors in rural areas of Anhui Province of China. Eleven counties were randomly selected in Anhui Province, and then, 15% of the villages in selected counties were randomly sampled as study sites. Patients with SLE were identified through two phases. Based on the cases identified, a population-based case-control study was designed to examine risk factors associated with SLE. A total of 1,253,832 individuals and identified 471 SLE cases were surveyed. Crude and age-standardized prevalence were estimated at 37.56 and 36.03 per 100,000 persons, respectively. Gender difference in the prevalence of SLE was significant (P = 4.62 × 10(-76)), and the age-standardized prevalence was 6.17 for males and 67.78 for females per 100,000 persons. The distribution of SLE prevalence was significant by age group (P = 1.78 × 10(-53)), and the peak prevalence was observed at 40-50 years. Multiple environmental factors were associated with SLE, including birth conditions, sweet food, cooking oil, taste, fruit consumption, sunlight exposure, quality of sleep, physical activities, drinking water, residence, negative life events, hepatitis B vaccine, age of menarche, and age at birth of first child (P < 0.05). Our large population-based epidemiological survey estimated the prevalence of SLE at 37.56 per 100,000 persons. Multiple environmental factors were associated with the development of SLE.

Gender Differences in Ocular Blood Flow

“… 74–76 However, when looking at the rate of ocular manifestations in patients with SLE, no difference in their incidence between genders is seen. 75 , 76 In contrast to SLE and MS, there seems to be no gender preference for polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, all belonging to the group of systemic necrotizing vasculitides. 77 Whether there is a gender difference the frequency of ocular vascular complications is unknown.…”

Effects of transitional care on self-care, readmission rates, and quality of life in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomized controlled trial

“…This study is timely and contributes to the evidence that transitional care may improve self-care, reduce readmissions, and improve quality of life of adult patients with SLE. These findings might be highly relevant for policy makers and health-care providers because of the increasing trend of patients with SLE and the heavy burden of the disease [ 4 , 7 ]. In view of the feasibility and positive outcomes of the transitional care in our study, we assume that transitional care has potential for application in SLE patients from other settings.…”

“…It is thought that about 50,000 people in the UK [ 1 ] and between 161,000 and 322,000 in the USA [ 2 ] are afflicted with SLE. Nor is SLE a rare disease in China, where the estimated prevalence is 30 to 100 cases per 100,000 in adults [ 3 , 4 ]. In recent decades, the survival rate of patients with SLE has improved because of improvements in SLE diagnosis and treatment [ 5 ].…”

The Possible Effect of B-Cell Epitopes of Epstein–Barr Virus Early Antigen, Membrane Antigen, Latent Membrane Protein-1, and -2A on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

“…SLE mostly affects women of childbearing age, and its incidence as well as prevalence keeps increasing worldwide in recent decades ( 2 ). 5.2 per 10,000 populations in the US suffer from SLE, while 2.6 and 2.8 per 10,000 populations in the UK and Japan have SLE, respectively; as to China, the prevalence is 3.7 per 10,000 populations ( 2 , 3 ). SLE patients present with a lot of clinical phenotypes of systemic autoimmunity, among which half have arthritis, a third have malar rash, and 28% have active nephropathy ( 4 , 5 ).…”