title: Chinese SLE Treatment and Research group (CSTAR) registry VII: prevalence and clinical significance of serositis in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate both the prevalence and clinical characteristics of serositis in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large cohort in the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research group (CSTAR) database.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cross-sectional study of patients with SLE was conducted based on the data from the CSTAR registry. Serositis was defined according to the 1999 revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE - that is, pleuritis/pleural effusion and/or pericarditis/pericardial effusion detected by echocardiography, chest X-ray or chest computerized tomography (CT) scan. Peritonitis/peritoneal effusion were confirmed by abdominal ultrasonography. We analysed the prevalence and clinical associations of serositis with demographic data, organ involvements, laboratory findings and SLE disease activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 2104 patients with SLE, 345 were diagnosed with serositis. The prevalence of lupus nephritis (LN), interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well as the presence of leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypocomplementemia and anti-dsDNA antibodies was significantly higher in patients with serositis (P < 0.05). Significantly higher SLE disease activity scores were found in patients with serositis compared to those patients without serositis (P < 0.05). Lupus-related peritonitis had similar clinical manifestations and laboratory profiles as serositis caused by SLE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a significant association of nephropathy, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, hypocomplementemia, leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and elevated anti-dsDNA antibodies with serositis. The results suggest that higher SLE disease activity contributes to serositis development, and should be treated aggressively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Xijing Hospital affiliated to the Fourth Military Medical University, Shanxi, China.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China zengxfpumc@gmail.com.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Autonomous, Urumqi, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Affiliated to the Ministry of Health of PRC, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Sino-Japanese friendship Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Beijing Hospital Affiliated to the Ministry of Health of PRC, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012700:Serositis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Prevalence; clinical significance; serositis; systemic lupus erythematosus