Comparison of clinical presentation and outcome of childhood-onset and adulthood-onset of systemic lupus erythematosus among Indonesian patients

Introduction The clinical presentation of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is generally perceived to differ from that of adult-onset SLE. Objective We aimed to compare the demographic and clinical manifestation between childhood-onset vs. adult-onset SLE in a cohort of Indonesian patients at tertiary care centers. Methods This retrospective study included patients in the Hasan Sadikin Lupus Registry from 2008 until December 2017. The demographics, clinical presentations, and outcomes were compared between childhood-onset SLE (<18 years old) (Group 1) and adult-onset SLE (>= 18 years old) (Group 2). Results Eight hundred seventy patients were involved into this study. The proportion of childhood-onset SLE was 20% (174 patients). The mean age of group 1 versus group 2 was 13.56 +/- 3.04 vs 30.41 +/- 8.54 years. The following clinical manifestations at SLE diagnosis were significantly more common in childhood-onset than in adult-onset SLE patients: hematological disorder (p = 0.033) and arthritis (p = 0.006). While discoid rash (p = 0.036) and photosensitivity (p < 0.001) were significantly found higher in adult-onset SLE. Cyclophosphamide therapy was significantly more common to be used in childhood-onset (38.5% vs 21.0%, p = <0.001). However, frequency of mortality on follow-up tended to be higher in childhood-onset group (11.5% vs 7.0%, p = 0.208). Conclusion Arthritis and hematologic involvements at SLE diagnosis were more prominent in childhood-onset compared to adult-onset patients, and mortality in childhood-onset SLE during follow-up relatively higher. This data may suggest the need for more aggressive management approach to childhood-onset patients with SLE.