Sex differences in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE):an inception cohort of the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group(CSTAR)registry XVII

Background:The onset and clinical presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)are sex-related.Few studies have investigated the distinctions in clinical characteristics and treatment preferences in male and female SLE patients in the initial cohort.This study aimed to improve the understanding of Chinese SLE patients by characterizing the different sexes of SLE patients in the inception cohort.Methods:Based on the initial patient cohort established by the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group,a total of 8713 patients(795 men and 7918 women)with newly diagnosed SLE were enrolled between April 2009 and March 2021.Of these,2900 patients(347 men and 2553 women)were eligible for lupus nephritis(LN).A cross-sectional analysis of the baseline demographic characteristics,clinical manifestations,laboratory parameters,organ damage,initial treatment regimens,and renal pathology classification was performed according to sex.Results:In the SLE group,as compared to female patients,male patients had a later age of onset(male vs.female:37.0±15.8 years vs.35.1±13.7 years,P=0.006)and a higher SLE International Collaborative Clinic/American College of Rheumatology damage index score(male vs.female:0.47±1.13 vs.0.34±0.81,P=0.015),LN(male vs.female:43.6%vs.32.2%,P<0.001),fever(male vs.female:18.0%vs.14.6%,P=0.010),thrombocytopenia(male vs.female:21.4%vs.18.5%,P=0.050),serositis(male vs.female:14.7%vs.11.7%,P=0.013),renal damage(male vs.female:11.1%vs.7.4%,P<0.001),and treatment with cyclophosphamide(CYC)(P<0.001).The frequency of leukopenia(male vs.female:20.5%vs.25.4%,P=0.002)and arthritis(male vs.female:22.0%vs.29.9%,P<0.001)was less in male patients with SLE.In LN,no differences were observed in disease duration,SLE Disease Activity Index score,renal biopsy pathological typing,or 24-h urine protein quantification among the sexes.In comparisons with female patients with LN,male patients had later onset ages(P=0.026),high serum creatinine(P<0.001),higher end-stage renal failure rates(P=0.002),musculoskeletal damage(P=0.023),cardiovascular impairment(P=0.009),and CYC use(P=0.001);while leukopenia(P=0.017),arthritis(P=0.014),and mycophenolate usage(P=0.013)rates were lower.Conclusions:Male SLE patients had more severe organ damage and a higher LN incidence compared with female SLE patients;therefore,they may require more aggressive initial treatment compared to female patients.

Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment and Research Group Registry IX： Clinical Features and Survival of Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in China

Background： Approximately 15-20% cases of systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE） are diagnosed in children. There have been a Few studies reporting the epidemiological data of pediatric-onset SLE （cSLE） in China, neither comparing the differences between cSLE and adult-onset SLE （aSLE）. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of age of onset on clinical features and survival in cSLE patients in China based on the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research group （CSTAR） database. Methods： We made a prospective study of 225 cSLE patients （aged 〈16 years） and 1759 patients aged 16-50 years based on CSTAR registry. We analyzed initial symptoms, clinical presentations, SLE disease activity, damages, and outcomes ofcSLE, as well as compared with aSLE patients. Results： The mean age ofcSLE patients was 12.16 ± 2.92 years, with 187 （83.1%） females. Fever （P 〈 0.001） as well as mucocutaneous （P 〈 0.001 ） and renal （P = 0.006） disorders were found to be significantly more frequent in cSLE patients as initial symptoms, while muscle and joint lesions were significantly less common compared to aSLE subjects （P 〈 0.001 ）. The eSLE patients were found to present more fi＇equently with malar rash （P = 0.001; odds ratio {OR], 0.624; 95% confidence interval [CI ], 0.470 0.829） but less tYequently with arthritis （P 〈 0.001 ; OR, 2.013; 95% CI, 1.512-2.679） and serositis （P = 0.030; OR, 1.629; 95% CI, 1.053 2.520）. There was no significant difl＇erence in SLE disease activity index scores between cSLE and aSLE groups （P = 0.478）. Cox regression indicated that childhood onset was the risk factor for organ damage in lupus patients （hazard ratio 0.335 [0.170 0.658], P = 0.001）. The survival curves between the cSLE and aSLE groups had no significant difference as determined by the log-rank test （0.557, P = 0.455）. Conclusions： cSLE in China has different clinical features and more inflammation than aSLE patients. Damage may be less in children and there is no difl＇erence in 5- year survival between cSLE and aSLE groups.