Usefulness in daily practice of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 scale and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score index for assessing the activity of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by high hetero­geneity of clinical manifestations and an uncertain prognosis. Although the mortality rate due to SLE has decreased significantly in recent decades, there is still a need to find good tools to measure disease activity for early detection of exacerbations and treatment planning. Over the decades, more than a dozen disease activity scales/indicators have been developed, with the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) being the most popular. More recently, the new SLE Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS) has been introduced. This paper compares the two methods of assessing SLE activity, and presents the relevance of these scales in pregnant SLE patients and their use in formulating definitions of remission and low disease activity. The results show that the SLEDAI and the SLE-DAS are of comparable value in assessing SLE activity and complement each other.