The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College ofRheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index for systemic lupus erythematosus international comparison

Objective. To compare patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from different centers with respect to demographics and Systemic Lupus Internat ional Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index ( SLICC/ACR DI) scores, and to assess whether the SLICC/ACR DI changed over t ime, and whether initial DI scores were related to outcome. Methods. Members of SLICC completed DI scores and patient demographics on p atients followed in their centers. Information was provided at 2, 5-10, and > 10 years of followup. Data were entered on computer and analyzed on SPSS /PC+ and SAS using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Results. Information for 1297 patients within 2 years of first clinic visit was submitted from 8 centers. There were 1187 women and 110 men with a mea n age at diagnosis of SLE of 32 years. Seven hundred sixty-two were Caucasi an, 423 were black, and the remainder were of other races. There were more blacks in the American centers than in Canadian or European centers. Five c enters provided information for the 3 time periods. The DI increased over t ime, Ninety-nine patients had died. Higher SLICC/ACR DI scores were documen ted in patients who went on to die. Conclusion. The SLICC/ACR DI is a valid measure for damage in SLE.