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Systemic lupus erythematosus in Lebanon

The present study describes the clinical characteristics of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), one of the largest teaching hospitals in Lebanon. This is a retrospective chart review of 100 SLE patients seen over a 20 y period. There were 86 females and 14 males, with a median age of 26 y. 85 patients were Lebanese and 15 patients were Palestinians. The main clinical features were arthritis and/or arthralgias seen in 95% of our patients, followed by malar rash (52%), and renal involvement (50%). Of the hematological manifestations, thrombocytopenia was most commonly seen in 33% of patients, followed by leucopenia in 17% and hemolytic anemia in 10% Oral ulcers and serositis were both seen in 40% of patients. Less frequent manifestations included discoid lupus (19%), neuropsychiatric manifestations (19%), and photosensitivity (16%). Antinuclear antibodies were detected in 87% of patients, whereas anti-DNA antibodies were seen in 50% of cases. 25 patients (25%) had a false-positive VDRL. A comparison between our findings and 3 other Arab SLE groups revealed a higher incidence of oral ulcers, discoid lupus, articular manifestations, thrombocytopenia and false-positive VDRL, and a lower incidence of photosensitivity, leucopenia, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and anti-DNA antibodies.