Kang JH, et al. - This study was carried out to investigate the impacts of obesity on clinical manifestations, disease activity and organ damage in Korean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Researchers examined a total of 393 SLE patients annually for three consecutive years based on demographic information, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and Physician Global Assessment, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index scores. At enrollment, 59 (15.0%) out of 393 patients were obese. Compared with non-obese patients, they had more comorbidities, involving diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and pulmonary hypertension. Compared with non-obese SLE patients, it was noted that the incidences of newly developed nephritis and cumulative organ damage were higher in obese SLE patients.