title: Gender differences in disease activity and clinical features in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this paper is to compare disease activity and clinical features at diagnosis in male and female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study in which every male patient (n = 40) was matched with three female patients of the same age (±5 years) and racial/ethnic group; disease activity as per the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and disease manifestations at the time of diagnosis were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alopecia and anti-Ro antibodies were more frequent in female patients. No statistically significant difference in any other disease characteristics was found. However, male gender was associated with a risk of severe disease activity at the time of diagnosis (as determined by SLEDAI ≥12 score) independent of age, racial/ethnic group, anti-Ro positivity or time to criteria accrual (OR: 3.11 95% CI, 1.09-8.92; p = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In newly diagnosed SLE patients, male gender is associated with higher disease activity despite the fact that male and female patients seem to experience similar overall disease manifestations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, Medellín, Colombia Division of Rheumatology, Universidad of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Grajales
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Universidad of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Alarcón
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia acostajl@uninorte.edu.co.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Acosta-Reyes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000505:Alopecia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; C035356:SS-A antibodies
keywords: SLEDAI (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index); Systemic lupus erythematosus; gender; male