title: Mortality patterns in Malaysian systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
abstract: A retrospective analysis of the case records of 494 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients under follow-up at University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur during 1976-1990 was performed. Overall mortality was 20.2% (100 patients). The causes of death were infection (30%), renal (15%), respiratory (14%), neurological (5%), cardiovascular (7%), other causes (2%) and unknown (27%). Active SLE was a contributing factor in 19% of the deaths. The patients who died had significantly more renal disease, neurological disease, serositis or thrombocytopenia by the end of the first year of disease compared to the survivors. As in other series, infection and active SLE remain important causes of death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yeap
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manivasagar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Veerapen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications; D012700:Serositis / Q000150:complications; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000150:complications