Gender difference in SLE

Q: Having a 'male sex' is considered a poor prognostic factor associated with increased mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

A) True

B) False

Answer: A

Conventionally, SLE is considered a disease more common in African American females. The prognosis associated with increased mortality gets worse if a patient is affected. Other poor prognostic factors are:

• Kidney disease
• Hypertension
• Presentation at extreme ages
• Low socioeconomic status
• Being a Black person
• Presence of antiphospholipid antibodies
• Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
• High overall disease activity

#rheumatology

References:

1. Albrecht K, Troll W, Callhoff J, Strangfeld A, Ohrndorf S, Mucke J. Sex- and gender-related differences in systemic lupus erythematosus: a scoping review. Rheumatol Int. 2025 Jun 27;45(7):160. doi: 10.1007/s00296-025-05910-7. PMID: 40576834; PMCID: PMC12204902.

2. Lee YH, Song GG. Mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A meta-analysis of overall and cause-specific effects. Lupus 2024; 33:929.

3. Sutton EJ, Davidson JE, Bruce IN. The systemic lupus international collaborating clinics (SLICC) damage index: a systematic literature review. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2013; 43:352.