title: Standard medical care of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in large specialised centres: data from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Republic of Kazakhstan (ESSENCE).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe disease characteristics and treatment regimens for adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with autoantibody positive disease in three countries (the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Republic of Kazakhstan).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Enoxaparin in Non-Q wave Coronary Events (ESSENCE) study was a 1-year, retrospective, multicentre, observational study. Data included patients' characteristics, disease activity and severity, and healthcare resource use in 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve centres enrolled 436 eligible patients: 232 in Russia, 110 in Kazakhstan and 94 in Ukraine. Mean age ranged from 36 to 42 years and median SLE duration from 3 to 6.8 years. According to study definitions, 69.2% of patients in Russia, 72.7% in Kazakhstan and 55.4% in Ukraine had severe disease at diagnosis. SLE activity (Nasonova classification, 1972) decreased from diagnosis to the last visit in 2010 in all countries. At the last visit, mean (SD) Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index score was 13.8 (10.5) in Russia, 19.4 (16.9) in Kazakhstan and 7.2 (6.8) in Ukraine, and Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index was 2.0 (2.2), 3.3 (3.2) and 2.2 (2.0), respectively. Treatment regimens included predominantly glucocorticoids (96.7-99.1%), immunosuppressants or cytotoxic drugs, for example, azathioprine and cyclophosphamide (20.7-53.2%), and antimalarial drugs (18.3-40.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides reliable insight into the SLE clinical profiles in the referenced countries. Patients were 4-10 years younger in the study and had 3-7 years shorter SLE duration than in Western European countries and both SLE activity and severity were higher with higher rate of hospitalisations, but decreased during treatment. Local and international scales demonstrated correlation in SLE activity and organ damage evaluation. There were differences in clinical characteristics and healthcare features across the countries.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology at Russian Academy of Medical Science , Moscow , Russian Federation.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nasonov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology at Russian Academy of Medical Science , Moscow , Russian Federation.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soloviev
authors.affiliation: Worldwide Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stockley Park , London , UK.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: North-Western Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov , St Petersburg , Russian Federation.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lila
authors.affiliation: Kazakh Medical University of Continuing Education , Almaty , Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Togizbayev
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Semey State Medical University , Semey , Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ivanova
authors.affiliation: Kazakh Medical University of Continuing Education , Almaty , Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Baimukhamedov
authors.affiliation: Kazakh Medical University of Continuing Education , Almaty , Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Zh
authors.initials: Zh
authors.lastname: Omarbekova
authors.affiliation: National Medical University named after O.O. Bogomolets , Kyiv , Ukraine.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Iaremenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Urgent and Recovery Surgery named after V.K. Gusak, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine , Donetsk , Ukraine.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gnylorybov
authors.affiliation: Scientific Research institute of Rehabilitation of Disabled, Vinnytsia National Medical University named after Pirogov , Vinnitsa , Ukraine.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shevchuk
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth of Independent States Medical Department, GlaxoSmithKline , London , UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasylyev
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth of Independent States Medical Department, GlaxoSmithKline , London , UK.
authors.forename: M H S
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pereira
keywords: Autoimmune Diseases; Disease Activity; Epidemiology; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Treatment