Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Flashcards
1
Q
what is systemic lupus erythematous
A
- an autoimmune rheumatic disease
- unknown etiology
- is a systemic disease involving connective tissue and is a zero positive disease
2
Q
what antibodies are present in systemic lupus erythematous
A
- autoantibodies have intracellular targets
- antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are present in at least 95% of patients with SLE
3
Q
give examples of antinuclear antibodies
A
- anti double stranded DNA- dsDNA
- antismith- anti sm
- anti-Ro
- Anti- La
4
Q
describe the prevalence of systemic lupus erythematous between males and females
A
12:1 female to male ratio
5
Q
why is SLE difficult to diagnose
A
has a wide variety of symptoms and is easy to miscategorise
6
Q
give examples of the symptoms of SLE
A
- rash
- arthritis
- fatigue/loss of apetite
- photosensitivity
7
Q
describe how race affects incidence of SLE
A
Afro caribbean patients had the highest incidence of SLE
8
Q
Describe the clinical progression of SLE
A
- Autoantibodies and clinical features appear years before diagnosis of SLE
- Many patients with SLE spend time with symptoms before meeting the ACR criteria
- a wide variety of symptoms with equally different severity between patients makes SLE difficult to diagnose
- SLE can be organ or life threatening
9
Q
give examples of the clinical presentation of SLE
A
- skin rashes
- joint involvement- joint inflammation and destruction can occur
- its course is different to typical inflammatory joint disease like RA
- the systemic nature can lead to the incorrect primary diagnosis
10
Q
Name 3 types of antinuclear antibodies that can often be detected in a patient with SLE and why are these important in arriving at a differential diagnosis
A
- antismith, anti-ro and anti-La antibodies
- helps arrive at the correct diagnosis and helps to get patients onto the correct treatment faster, as patients are often misdiagnosed
