Chinese Males with Lupus Found to Have Lower Survival Rates than Women
Researchers in China conducted a multicenter cohort study to explore the role of gender on survival rate and causes of death and organ damage in Chinese people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They reviewed charts of 1,352 women and 142 men and found that males have lower survival rates than females with SLE. The five-year survival rate was 92% for men and 97.6% for women. The most common cause of death for men was infection (41.7%) and active SLE for women (27.3%). Both genders accumulated renal, musculoskeletal and nervous system damage.
The investigators concluded that longer-term studies are needed to investigate late mortality and organ damage in people with SLE, as well research to determine whether disease relapses are risk factors for mortality.