Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis: Epidemiology and risk of invasive fungal infection in systemic lupus erythematosus:

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a serious complication with high mortality in immunocompromised hosts such as hematological malignancies, solid organ transplantation, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or critical illness

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with multisystem involvement

Although bacteria and viruses are the most common pathogens observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, IFIs are increasingly being identified due to the application of sensitive diagnostic modalities

We conducted this population-based retrospective cohort study by using data from the NHIRD to examine the clinical burden, outcomes, and risk factors for IFI in SLE patients, with a particular focus on distinct risk factor patterns for each fungal species

Patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus between 1997 and 2012 were enrolled in a 1:10 ratio with age- and sex-matched non-systemic lupus erythematosus controls from the Taiwan National Medical Insurance Research Database

A total of 24,541 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 245,410 patients with non-systemic lupus erythematosus were included in the study

In conclusion, this nationwide population-based cohort study revealed a high risk of IFI infection and mortality in patients with lupus erythematosus, including a high risk in juvenile lupus erythematosus patients

Source:

Su CF, Lai CC, Li TH, Epidemiology and risk of invasive fungal infections in systemic lupus erythematosus: a nationwide population-based cohort study, Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis 2021;13