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PO:12:320 Late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: experience from a 15- Year Moroccan cohort

lupusscimed · 2026-03-01 · canonical JSON source

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Objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a polymorphic connective tissue disease characterized by multisystem involvement and an autoimmune etiology, occurring predominantly in young women. SLE is considered late-onset when diagnosed at or after the age of 50 years. Studies focusing on this subset of patients remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic characteristics of patients with late-onset lupus within a Moroccan populationMethods We conducted a retrospective study over a period of 15-year (from January 2010 to December 2024), including patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus according to the 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria at age 50 years or older, in the Internal Medicine department at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Marrakesh.Results Among 419 SLE cases, late-onset lupus was diagnosed in 53 patients (12.6%). The mean age was 59.3 years [50–70], with female predominance (F/M = 5.6:1). An associated autoimmune disease was found in 4 cases. At admission, the mean SLEDAI score was 12.3, with general symptoms reported in 49% of cases.Cutaneous manifestations were present in 84.6% of patients, including malar rash in 65.9%. Articular involvement was observed in 86.5%, with true arthritis in 10.8%. Renal, respiratory, and cardiac involvement were reported in 48.1%, 37.3%, and 28.8% of cases, respectively. A Sicca syndrome was noted in 34.9%.Laboratory workup revealed an anemia in 53.8%, lymphopenia in 53.1%, and thrombocytopenia in 21.2%. Antinuclear antibodies were positive in 88.4%, and anti–double-stranded DNA antibodies in 73.2%.Regarding treatment, 85.1% of patients received antimalarials and 95.8% systemic corticosteroids. Conventional immunosuppressants were prescribed in 31 cases, while no biologic therapy was used in this cohort.Conclusions Late-onset lupus remains a relatively rare entity, with clinical, laboratory, and disease-course characteristics that differ from those observed in younger patients. These differences may reflect the impact of age on the typical evolution of systemic lupus erythematosus.