ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS Multiple factors such as infection (e.g., herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, and human immunodeficiency virus), immune system dysregulation, and genetics have been implicated in its pathogenesis….
Laboratory tests may show anemia, and the ESR sometimes may be elevated. ANA are present in up to 80% of patients. Creatine kinase is the most sensitive and reliable enzyme…
Raynaud Phenomenon. The most effective method of preventing Raynaud phenomenon is avoidance of cold exposure. Patients should wear warm protective clothing and avoid tobacco use. Conventional vasodilators, such as long-acting…
These diseases are rare, with prevalence rates of approximately 1 per 100,000 in the general population. The annual incidence ranges from 2 to 10 cases per million. Although the disease…
Pulmonary hypertension, characterized by rapidly progressive dyspnea, occurs in 7% to 12% of patients typically 10 to 15 years after onset of Raynaud phenomenon. The diffusing capacity is disproportionally reduced…
Scleroderma is categorized into localized and systemic varieties. Localized scleroderma consists of morphea and linear scleroderma, which is manifest as sclerotic lesions of the skin without visceral involvement. Systemic sclerosis,…
CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA The initial classification criteria for APS (Sapporo, 1998) were revised in 2006. These include clinical (vascular thrombosis and pregnancy-related morbidity) and laboratory (presence and measurement of antibody titers…
Causes of anemia in SLE patients include chronic inflammation, hemolysis, blood loss, renal insufficiency, myelodysplasia, hypersplenism, or marrow aplasia. A white blood cell count lower than 4500/µL has been reported…
Renal Manifestations. Renal involvement eventually will affect up to 70% to 80% of all patients, but the clinical presentation varies and includes an abnormal urine sediment; nephritis, nephrotic syndrome; or…
A positive ANA test alone is not sufficient to establish the diagnosis. Survival rates in SLE are much better today than 50 years ago. Morbidity comes from disease itself, as…
