Retrospective Analysis of Patients with Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Objective: Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease with different subtypes that exhibit variations in clinical, immunological, and prognostic features. This study aims to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with CLE, the frequency of observed subtypes, antibody levels, the rate of co-occurrence with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the treatments administered. Methods: The data of 56 patients diagnosed with CLE between November 2021 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Demographic features, clinical findings, comorbidities, antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-dsDNA results, and treatments administered were recorded from patient files. Results: The study included 38 females (67.9%) and 18 males (32.1%) with a mean age of 42.3±14.3 years. The most common clinical subtype was Chronic CLE (CCLE) (85.7%). Within CCLE, discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) constituted 76.8%. The most frequently affected anatomic region was the face. SLE was present in 16.1% of the patients. Among patients with Acute CLE (ACLE), 100% had SLE, while this ratio was 66.7% for Subacute CLE (SCLE) and 6.9% for DLE. ANA was positive in 42.9% of all patients and 32.6% of DLE patients. Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that the most common clinical subtype was DLE, lesions most frequently occurred in the facial region, the highest risk of SLE was associated with ACLE, and the most commonly administered treatment was topical calcineurin inhibitors. Identifying the subtypes of CLE, initiating appropriate treatment, and regular monitoring of patients are crucial in the management of patients with CLE.

Keywords

• cutaneous lupus erythematosus
• discoid lupus erythematosus
• systemic lupus erythematosus
• antinuclear antibody

Ethical Statement

The present study was conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Clinical Research and Ethics Committee of Giresun Training and Research Hospital (Approval number: 24, date: 18.12.2023).

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