Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2014 Feb;66(2):357-68.
doi: 10.1002/art.38239.

The incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2002-2004: The Georgia Lupus Registry

S Sam Lim  1 , A Rana Bayakly, Charles G Helmick, Caroline Gordon, Kirk A Easley, Cristina Drenkard
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2002-2004: The Georgia Lupus Registry

S Sam Lim et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: The Georgia Lupus Registry is a population-based registry designed to improve our ability to estimate the incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large population.

Methods: Potential cases of SLE were identified from multiple sources during the years 2002 through 2004. Cases were defined according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE or a combined definition. Age-standardized rates were determined and stratified by race and sex. With capture-recapture analyses, we estimated the under-ascertainment of cases.

Results: Using the ACR case definition, the overall crude and age-adjusted incidence rate was 5.6 per 100,000, with capture-recapture and combined definition rates being slightly higher. The age-adjusted incidence rate in women was >5 times higher than that for men (9.2 versus 1.8). Black women had an incidence rate nearly 3 times higher than that in white women, with a significantly higher rate in the group ages 30-59 years. The overall crude and age-adjusted prevalence rates were 74.4 and 73 per 100,000, respectively. The age-adjusted prevalence rate in women was nearly 9 times higher than that for men (127.6 versus 14.7). Black women had very high rates (196.2). A striking difference was seen in the proportion of prevalent cases with end-stage renal disease, with 7-fold greater involvement among black patients.

Conclusion: With the more complete case-finding methods we used, the incidence and prevalence rates of SLE are among the highest reported in the US. The results continue to underscore striking sex, age, and racial disparities between black patients and white patients with SLE.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any potential conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow Chart of Case Finding (for ≥ 4 ACR criteria case definition) from Primary and Secondary Data Sources to Screening/Abstracting to Meeting Case Definitions
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-Specific Incidence and Prevalence Rates of SLE by Sex and Race (≥4 ACR Criteria Case Definition)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Brunsting LA. Disseminated (systemic) lupus erythematosus. Proc Staff Meet Mayo Clin. 1952;27(22):410–2. - PubMed
    1. Siegel M, Holley HL, Lee SL. Epidemiologic studies on systemic lupus erythematosus. Comparative data for New York City and Jefferson County, Alabama, 1956–1965. Arthritis Rheum. 1970;13(6):802–11. - PubMed
    1. Lim SS, Drenkard C, McCune WJ, Helmick CG, Gordon C, Deguire P, et al. Population-based lupus registries: advancing our epidemiologic understanding. Arthritis and rheumatism. 2009;61(10):1462–6. - PubMed
    1. United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Bridged-Race Population Estimates, United States July 1st resident population by state, county, age, sex, bridged-race, and Hispanic origin, compiled from 1990–1999 bridged-race intercensal population estimates and 2000–2009 (Vintage 2009) bridged-race postcensal population estimates, on CDC WONDER On-line Database. [cited; Available from: http://wonder.cdc.gov/bridged-race-v2009.html on Jan 1, 2012 9:47:23 PM.
    1. Tan EM, Cohen AS, Fries JF, Masi AT, McShane DJ, Rothfield NF, et al. The 1982 revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 1982;25(11):1271–7. - PubMed

Publication types