The presence of neuropsychiatric manifestations was the strongest risk factor for organ damage in a group of patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study from Hong Kong found.
In a multivariate analysis, neuropsychiatric manifestations such as seizures or cognitive impairment were the only independent risk factor for damage, with an odds ratio of 14.59 (95% CI 1.38-154.16, P=0.03), according to Jacqueline K.K. Sit, MD, and Winnie K.Y. Chan, MD, of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kowloon.
Factors that were not significantly associated with damage in the multivariate analysis included age at diagnosis, renal involvement, number of lupus flares, and number of episodes of serious infection, they reported in Pediatric Rheumatology.
The prognosis for childhood-onset SLE has increased dramatically, with 10-year survival rates now being estimated at 80% to 90%, up from 40% 50 years ago.
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