EVALUATION OF THE 1982 ARA LUPUS CRITERIA DATA SET IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS

Objective: Although commonly used, the 1982 revised criteria for the c lassification of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) have not been comp letely evaluated in pediatric patients. This study was aimed at evalua ting the sensitivity and specificity of the 1982 revised criteria when applied to pediatric patients. Methods: One hundred and three childre n with SLE and 101 children with other rheumatic diseases were selecte d from 5 rheumatology centers in Brazil. Diagnosis of SLE by the 1982 criteria were compared with our clinical diagnosis. The diagnosis of o ther diseases was made according to internationally accepted classific ation criteria or, when these were not available, according to the phy sician's own experienced judgement. Results: The median number of crit eria fulfilled by the patients with SLE and the controls were 6 and 1, respectively. The most common criteria observed in children with SLE were: abnormal antinuclear antibody titers (94%), arthritis (83%), imm unologic disorder (83%), hematologic disorder (70%), malar rash (67%), and photosensitivity (58%). When the immunologic disorder was broken down into its constituent elements, antibodies to dsDNA and Sm were ob served in 73.0% (65/89) and 31.4% (15/48), respectively. The sensitivi ty and specificity observed were 96% and 100%, respectively. Conclusio n: The 1982 classification criteria can be successfully applied to chi ldren with SLE. These criteria may serve as a basis for multi-center c ollaborative studies on children with SLE.