Clinico-laboratory findings in male lupus patients from a tertiary care hospital, Pakistan

This study was conducted to delineate the clinical pattern of a cohort of Pakistani male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Clinical and laboratory data were collected of 24 male patients who were diagnosed with SLE and admitted to a tertiary care hospital between 1986 and 2001. Imaging and invasive studies (including aspirations and biopsies) were also recorded. Fourteen patients (58%) had renal involvement, with WHO class 4 and 5 comprising 89% of the cases. Eight patients (33%) had neurological involvement. Out of these 8 patients, 3 presented with psychosis (12.5%) and 4 (17%) with seizures. Twenty three patients (96%) had hematological involvement, 6 (25%) had serosal and 10 (41%) had articular involvement. Cutaneous lesions were noted in 10 (41%) patients. A majority of the patients were noncompliant and were lost to follow-up; therefore, ultimate outcome could not be clearly delineated. A high index of suspicion for SLE in males may permit early diagnosis and dictate the need for more aggressive therapy.