Investigators found that the incidence of end-stage renal failure actually reduced with age. “This may be because people with SLE who develop lupus nephritis and subsequently end-stage renal failure develop it early in the disease process,” write the authors.
In this study, patients with SLE also had an increased incidence rate of cancer, particularly for lung cancer, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other hematologic malignancies.
Throughout their discussion, investigators note that clinicians should be aware of the increased risks for this patient population. They recommend monitoring and instituting primary prevention strategies in conjunction with good disease control. Patients should be encouraged to modify behavioral risk factors, such as smoking. Investigators also call for further research to refine primary prevention strategies and reduce the excess morbidity associated with SLE.
Rees F, Doherty M, Grainge M, et al. Burden of comorbidity in systemic lupus erythematosus in the U.K., 1999–2012. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 Jun;68(6):819–827. doi: 10.1002/acr.22751.
