Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Avascular necrosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: Prevalence, associations, risk factors and outcome
Study context
- Population
- Cohort of 912 patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) followed up by a standard protocolSLE cohort
- Participants
- 912 participants
- Comparison
- SLE patients with symptomatic AVN vs SLE patients without AVN; early-onset (≤1 year after SLE diagnosis) vs later-onset AVN
- AVNn = 106
- Non-AVNn = 197reference
- Outcome
- Prevalence of symptomatic AVN in the SLE cohort
Methodological detailscontrols matched for disease duration
- Controls matched for disease duration
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of symptomatic AVN
AVN
11.6%
106
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Mean
| Outcome | AVN | Non-AVN | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at SLE diagnosisSignificantly lower in AVN | 27.6 (SD 10.6) | 32.5 (SD 12.6) | P = 0.003 |
- Antiphospholipid antibodies · aCL IgG positivity significantly higher
- P = 0.020
- Antiphospholipid antibodies · LA positivity significantly higher
- 0.020
- Antiphospholipid antibodies · aPL positivity of any kind significantly higher
- 0.018
- AVN in more than 1 joint
- 64.2 % · 68 of 106
Clinical manifestations
- AVN patients had significantly higher alopecia, photosensitivity, oral ulcers, vasculitic skin rash, arthritis, serositis, nephritis, pulmonary hypertension and neurologic involvement than non-AVN (p < .05)
AVN in more than 1 joint
- AVN found in a total of 214 joints in 106 patients
Early-onset (≤1 year after SLE diagnosis) vs later-onset AVN (subgroup)
- Early-onset: significantly higher mean SLEDAI-2K
- P = 0.041
- Early-onset: higher mean daily steroid dose until diagnosis
- 0.000
- Early-onset: lower age
- 0.001
- Early-onset: AVN at multiple joints significantly more
- P = 0.047
Original publication
Avascular necrosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: Prevalence, associations, risk factors and outcome. Lupus. Published 11 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →