Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Association between disease duration and comorbidity burden in systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicentre study from Pakistan
Authors' conclusion
Comorbidities are common in SLE and increase with age and disease duration
Study context
- Population
- Adults (≥18 years) fulfilling 2019 EULAR/ACR systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) classification criteria, Punjab Lupus Registry, Pakistan, January 2020–December 2024of 536 registered
- Participants
- 482 adults
- Exposure
- Disease duration categories; patients with vs without comorbidities
- Outcome
- Prevalence and predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and osteoporosis
Methodological detailscross-sectional analysis of a prospective registry, multicentre, multivariable Poisson regression with robust error variance
- Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective registry
- Multicentre
- Multivariable Poisson regression with robust error variance
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Comorbidity prevalence
At least one comorbidity
43.6%
Multimorbidity
15.1%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
CVD prevalence by disease duration · χ² test for trend
P < 0.001
CKD prevalence by disease duration · χ² test for trend
P < 0.001
Osteoporosis prevalence by disease duration · χ² test for trend
P < 0.001
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| SLEDAI-2K, with vs without comorbidities | P = 0.009 |
| SLICC/ACR DI, with vs without comorbidities | P < 0.001 |
- SLEDAI-2K, with vs without comorbidities: With comorbidities 6.9
- SLEDAI-2K, with vs without comorbidities: Without comorbidities 5.6
- SLICC/ACR DI, with vs without comorbidities: With comorbidities 2.4
- SLICC/ACR DI, with vs without comorbidities: Without comorbidities 1.3
Independent predictors of comorbidity burden (adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR))
- Older age, per 10 years
- 1.31
- Longer disease duration, per 5 years
- 1.22
- Corticosteroid use
- 1.33
- Smoking
- 1.26
- Low socioeconomic status
- 1.38
- HCQ use (protective)
- 0.78
Original publication
Association between disease duration and comorbidity burden in systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicentre study from Pakistan. Lupus Sci Med. Published 30 December 2025. doi:10.
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