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Greater burden of complications in major non-white groups.
Substantial differences were seen in the pattern of disease manifestations and severe complications among ethnic/racial minority patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), analysis of data from the California Lupus Surveillance Project found.
Compared with whites, renal manifestations were more common in blacks, with a prevalence ratio of 1.74 (95% CI 1.40-2.16, P<0.001), in Asian/Pacific Islanders (PR 1.68, 95% CI 1.38-2.05, P<0.001), and in Hispanics (PR 1.35, 95% CI 1.05-1.74, P<0.05), according to Ernest Maningding, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues.
And for serious complications, the risks for the development of lupus nephritis in minorities also were increased compared with whites, with hazard ratios of 2.4 (95% CI 1.6-3.8) among blacks, 4.3 (95% CI 2.9-6.4) in Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 2.3 (95% CI 1.4-3.8) in Hispanics, the researchers reported in Arthritis Care & Research.
Minorities in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by SLE, and despite the increased numbers of various racial and ethnic groups in recent years, contemporary epidemiologic estimates of disease prevalence and characteristics have been lacking.
