Clinical Characteristics And Correlative Factors For Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objectives To analyze the clinical characteristics and the correlative factorsabout the development and occurrence of neuropsychiatric systemic lupuserythematosus（NPSLE）, and better understand this disease, and also guide theclinical work.Methods56NPSLE patients were retrospectively analyzed. There were112SLE patients who without neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms in the control group(non-NPSLE), which selected by the random layered matching method. Thisstudy described and analyzed the clinical characteristics and the correlativefactors about NPSLE and non-NPSLE patients, and compared the differencesbetween them. Otherwise, also compared the differences between NPSLEpatients who with different NP symptoms. And at the same time，analyzed thosefactors further，in order to assess the correlativity。Results There were14NP symptoms in the56NPSLE patients,6patients’first clinical manifestation were NP symptoms,37patients (66.1%) developedtwo or more NP symptoms, the most frequent NP symptom was seizures42.9%(24/56), and other common manifestations included headache (33.9%), acuteconfusional state (33.9%), psychosis (32.1%), mood disorder (30.4%), and cerebrovascular disease (23.2%). More risk factors were observed in patientswith than without NP involvement. Lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia,hypocalcemia, anti-cardiolipin antibody(ACL) were factors more stronglyassociated with NP involvement, SLEDAI-2000scores were more higher inNPSLE patients, when compared the differences about those factors betweenNPSLE and non-NPSLE patients, there had significant statistical significance（P＜0.05）. For comparison with the NPSLE patients who with and withoutseizures, there found significant statistical significance（P＜0.05）, the differentmanifestations included age and SLEDAI-2000scores. Logistic regressionanalyses suggested that the prevalence of NPSLE was correlated withSLEDAI-2000scores, malar rash, thrombocytopenia, positive results of tests foranti-cardiolipin antibody. Otherwise, the age and SLEDAI-2000scores ofNPSLE also had correlation with seizures. The NPSLE patients who withseizures were younger and had higher SLEDAI-2000scores than that whomwithout seizures.Conclusion Seizures was the most frequent NP symptom in NPSLEpatients. Non-malar rash, thrombocytopenia, anti-cardiolipin antibody(ACL)were risk factors more strongly associated with NP involvement. Lymphopenia,the lower level of serum calcium may were the correlative factors of NPSLE.There had correlation among age and seizures, as well as the SLEDAI-2000scores. If patients were younger or with higher SLEDAI-2000scores, the risk ofseizures about them might increased.