The aim was to determine the course, outcome, and determinants of mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in intensive care unit (ICU). SLE patients admitted to ICU from 2004 to 2015 were recruited retrospectively. Demographic data, disease characteristics, causes of admission, baseline SLE disease activity index-2K (SLEDAI-2K) and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE) score, the outcome, and the causes of death were recorded. Predictors of mortality were compared between alive and dead patients by Cox regression analysis. Ninety-four patients with SLE were enrolled. Mean age at the time of ICU admission was 29.6 years. Average scores of SLEDAI and APACHE II were 11.3 and 19.8, respectively. The most common causes of ICU admission were pneumonia, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), and seizure. Forty-seven patients (50%) died in ICU. The principal causes of death were septic shock (25.5%), multi-organ failure (12.5%), DAH (10.6%), and pneumonia (10.6%). After multivariate analysis, high APACHE II, septic shock, and duration of mechanical ventilation were indicators of survival outcome. Mean (95% CI) survival days in ICU in patients with and without respiratory failure were 14.6 (10.4-18.9) and 28.7 (17.9-39.5) days, respectively (P = 0.001). This figure for those with and without septic shock was 13.5 (4.9-11.1) and 22.3 (9.3-24.7) days, respectively (P = 0.016). High APACHE II, septic shock, and duration of mechanical ventilation were the main predictors of death in patients with SLE in ICU. Multicenter studies are needed to draw a fine picture of SLE behavior in ICU.
Osteonecrosis of bone is a major cause of morbidity in lupus patients, and is most common in the femoral head. It has been reported in wide range of patients (2-30%). In different studies presence of arthritis, Raynaud phenomenon, vasculitis, pleuritis, antiphospholipid and other factors were associated with this occurrence. Bone infarcts were also associated with these factors. We report a 21-year-old patient who was diagnosed as SLE about 3 years ago. When the patient was stable with hydroxychloroquine and prednisolone referred to rheumatologic clinic for mechanical knee pain, in evaluation she had bone infarct in distal femur. Two months later she came back with bilateral hip pain, and in evaluation she had bilateral osteonecrosis of femoral heads. There are many reports of femoral head osteonecrosis in lupus patients, and also one report of multiple bone infarct and pain in SLE, but we did not find any report of these two phenomena together in a patient whose disease was controlled and she took minimum of steroid and DMARD in the about 2-month follow-up, and this was very interesting for us.
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