title: [Severe infections in a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study severe infectious complications in a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of 705 patients followed from January 1980 to January 2008. Data are expressed in percentages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of severe infectious was 38.6%. The etiology was bacterial 54.4%, viric 30.4% and opportunist in 15.2% patients. Involved organs were: Lung 38.2%, kidney 48.9%, central nervous system 43%. 43.75% patients received pulsed ciclofosfamide therapy and 88.6% received glucocorticoids (39.7% pulsed). The mortality was 27.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At present, infection is an important cause of mortality in patients with SLE. Early diagnosis of infectious complications is very important in SLE.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Colagenosis e Hipertensión Pulmonar, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González León
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castillo Palma
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García Hernández
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez Román
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index