title: Serological characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus from a hospital-based rheumatology clinic in Kuwait.
abstract: Thirty-one consecutive patients with SLE were screened for antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-DNA antibodies, extractable nuclear antigen antibodies (anti-ENAs) including anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-SSA (anti-Ro), anti-SSB; (anti-La), anti-Scl-70, rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), C3 and C4 levels, anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), biologically false positive serological test for syphilis (BF-STS) using VDRL test and Coombs' test. The age of the patients ranged from 11 to 52 year with a median of 29 year; female to male ratio of 5:1. There were 21 Kuwaitis, four Egyptians, three from the Indian subcontinent, two Filipinos and one Syrian. Main clinical categories of SLE were: mild cutaneous SLE in 12 (38.7%), clinical antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) secondary to SLE in 8 (25.8%), haematological manifestations of SLE in 5 (16.1%), renal lupus in four (12.9%), neuropsychiatric in three (9.7%), others (6.4%). Clinical features overlapped in several patients. ANA was positive in 96.8% (mean value 891.61 units/ml), anti-DNA in 35.5% (mean value 56.4 units) that was lower than expected and could be due to selection bias as the patients were from a rheumatology clinic, anti-ENA in 42%, anti-Sm 13% that was lower than other non-Caucasian populations, anti-RNP 13%, anti-SS-A in 35.5%, anti-SS-B in 19.4%, Scl-70 in 13%, CRP in 71% (moderate 58%, very high 13%); C3 mean 1.52 mg/ml (3.2% low levels), C4 mean 0.35 mg/ml (32% low levels), anticardiolipin mean GPL 35.35 units (high 58%), mean MPL 10.61 units (high 26%), BF-STS in 6%, Coombs' test in 6%, RF positive in 36%. The only significant positive clinical associations observed were those of renal involvement with anti-DNA antibodies (P = 0.042), and clinical antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with aCL antibodies (P = < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology (Clinical Immunology Division), Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: al-Mekaimi
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Malaviya
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serebour
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Umamaheswaran
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: al-Saeid
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; C035356:SS-A antibodies; C035357:SS-B antibodies; D002097:C-Reactive Protein