Lymphopenia as risk factor for development of severe infections in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case-control study.
QJM
; 106(5): 451-7, 2013 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23458779
OBJECTIVES: Hematological abnormalities, particularly lymphopenia, are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), whether the disease is active or not. The aim of this study is to assess whether lymphopenia (blood counts ≤1000 K/µl) is a risk factor for severe infections in patients with SLE. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed. We reviewed the clinical records of 167 SLE patients throughout a 5-year period. SLE patients with severe infections were compared with those without infection and the presence of lymphopenia was obtained from the blood count previous to the infection date. Also, other clinical and laboratory features as well as immunosuppressive therapy and SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) were recorded. RESULTS: Univariate analysis shows multiple risk factors for severe infections in SLE, such as lymphopenia, high SLEDAI index, prednisone (PDN) and mycophenolate mofetil treatment and low levels of C3 and C4. Moreover, hydroxychloroquine treatment conferred protection. However, after multivariate analysis, only lymphopenia [odds ratio (OR) 5.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.39-11.3], PDN treatment (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.1-11.9) and low levels of C3 (OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.1-7.9) remained as independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that lymphopenia, PDN treatment and low levels of C3 are independent risk factors for the development of severe infections in SLE patients, including diverse microorganisms, not only opportunistic infections.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções Oportunistas
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Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico
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Linfopenia
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
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Observational_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
QJM
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
México
País de publicação:
Reino Unido