SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: DESCRIPTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF THE DISEASE PHENOTYPE
Authors:
Ivan Padjen, Mislav Cerovec, Miroslav Mayer, Branimir Anić
Summary
Due to the complexity of the disease which aff ects a wide range of organ systems, describing the clinical phenotype of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) still represents a challenge. Th is review, based on an extensive search of the literature, discusses the role of classifi cation criteria, disease activity, and damage indices in describing and quantifying the disease phenotype and course in patients with SLE. Despite these standardized and validated tools, the comparison of studies conducted on patients with SLE remains limited due to diff erences in inclusion criteria and other methodological issues.
Sažetak
S obzirom na složenost bolesti koja zahvaća širok raspon organskih sustava, opis kliničkog fenotipa u bolesnika sa sistemskim eritemskim lupusom (SLE) i dalje je izazov. U ovom pregledu temeljenom na opsežnoj pretrazi literature raspravlja se o ulozi klasifi kacijskih kriterija te indeksa aktivnosti i oštećenja u opisu i kvantifi kaciji fenotipa bolesti i njezina tijeka u bolesnika sa SLE-om. Unatoč ovim standardiziranim i validiranim alatima usporedba rezultata istraživanja provedenih na bolesnicima sa SLE-om ostaje tek djelomično moguća zbog razlika u kriterijima za uključivanje bolesnika i ostalih metodoloških teškoća.
