Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Asturias, Spain: Clinical and Serologic Features

Asturias is an autonomous region in the north of Spain with historical and anthropologic peculiarities. In the current report, we examine the main clinical and immunologic features of 363 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), virtually the entire population of SLE patients in Asturias. We constructed a database with the clinical and immunologic features of all patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria, based on the review of hospital records corresponding to blood samples received for antinuclear antibodies testing since 1992. Arthritis was the most frequently observed main clinical feature and neuropathy was the rarest. Male patients had a disease more frequently characterized by serositis (p