title: Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus in England and Wales, 1981-2.
abstract: The prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was estimated from a secondary analysis of data collected during the Third National Study of Morbidity Statistics from General Practice, 1981-2. A total of 20 cases, all female, were seen by general practitioners during the study period. The period prevalence of SLE was 12.5/100,000 among women of all ages and 17.7/100,000 among women aged 15 to 64. These rates are lower than those reported from other developed Western countries; this is probably due to misclassification in diagnosis or prior referral of cases to consultants for chronic care, or both.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014852:Wales