CLINICAL, AUTOIMMUNE AND DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) PATIENTS FROM SOUTHERN BRAZIL

With the purpose of determining the association of clinical, autoimmun e and demographic features, a group of 90 SLE patients from Southern B razil were investigated. At diagnosis, 24% of them were under 20 years , 63% were between 20 and 40 years and 13% were older than 40 years. A ccording to the ethnic background, there were 66% Brazilian-white pati ents, 21% Caucasians and 13% Mullatos/Blacks. Antinuclear antibodies ( ANA) were present in 98%, anti-ds-DNA in 56% and anti-Sm in 31% of the patients. Anti-ds-DNA were more prevalent in the Caucasians (79%), wh ile anti-Sm were increased in the Mullatos/Blacks (58%, p <0.02) as co mpared to the white patients (Brazilian-whites = 22% and Caucasians = 42%). Neurologic involvement had lower prevalence in the group of Mull ato/Black patients (8%) than in the Brazilian-whites (32%) and Caucasi ans (31%). Serositis was present in 51% of the Brazilian-whites, in 21 % of the Caucasians and in 41% of the Mullatos/Blacks. On the other ha nd, the Mullato/Black group had an increased prevalence of vasculitis (50%) and none of them presented with Raynaud's phenomenon. Younger pa tients at diagnosis presented higher frequency of renal involvement (p <0.05), anti-ds-DNA positivity (p <0.02) and more severe disease (p < 0.07), and in those patients diagnosed after age 40, 33% presented wit h Raynaud's phenomenon (p <0.05). Regarding the anti-ds-DNA positivity , 78% of the patients had renal involvement (p <0.01 RR 2.2) and 66% s evere disease (p <0.05). These results might be important in assessing clinical subsets and may aid individualized management of Brazilian S LE patients. Also, they may corroborate the need for special attention to racial composition in clinical and immunogenetic studies.