Kunzler E, et al. - Researchers aimed at assessing the incidence and risk factors of having coexisting autoimmune conditions in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). Findings suggested increased rates of coexisting autoimmune conditions among patients with CLE without concurrent SLE. Clinicians can be prompted to pursue further testing and evaluation by other specialists after a thorough review of systems.

Methods

• From November 2008 to February 2017, researchers performed a cross-sectional study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, Texas.
• The UTSW Cutaneous Lupus Registry was used to identify participants.
• A dermatologist-confirmed diagnosis of CLE, using clinicopathological correlation, was noted in all participants.
• They excluded patients if they were younger than 18 years and/or met at least 4 American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria for SLE.
• They compared participants with CLE and without concomitant autoimmune diseases in terms of demographic and disease characteristics.
• The primary outcome included presence of coexisting autoimmune condition(s) and secondary outcome included individual autoimmune diseases.
• They used univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify predictor variables significantly associated with coexisting autoimmune diseases.

Results

• Researchers screened 285 participants initially, and of these, 129 participants with CLE were included (102 [79.1%] female; median age, 49 years [interquartile range, 38.3-57.1 years]).
• They identified coexisting autoimmune conditions in 23 (17.8%).
• Autoimmune thyroid disease occurred in the highest frequency at 4.7% (n=6).
• As per multivariable logistic regression analyses, patients with CLE who were white (odds ratio [OR], 2.88; 95% CI, 1.00-8.29; P=.0498), never smokers (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.14-9.39; P=.03), had family history of autoimmune disease (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.21-10.39; P=.02), and history of positive antinuclear antibody test result (OR, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.69-14.03; P=.003) had a significant connection with having coexisting autoimmune conditions.