Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Validation of proposals for definitions of moderate and severe disease activity in SLE: impact on flares, quality of life, damage accrual, hospitalisations and mortality
Authors' conclusion
MODAS and SEDAS offer an alternative framework for defining moderate and severe SLE activity, with modest but consistent improvements in predictive performance compared with SLEDAI.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE in the RELESSER-PROS cohort (39 Spanish hospitals), five annual visits
- Participants
- 1,463 patients39 Spanish hospitals
- Exposure
- Moderate disease activity state (MODAS)/severe disease activity state (SEDAS) definitions vs SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)
- Outcome
- Predictive performance (AUC) for mortality, organ damage, severe flares, hospitalisations and health-related quality of life
Methodological detailsmulticentre, Delphi method for definitions, ROC curve analysis
- Multicentre
- Delphi method for definitions
- ROC curve analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Predictive accuracy (AUC)
- Damage: AUC 0.570 (MODAS/SEDAS) vs 0.550 (SLEDAI)
- Flares: AUC 0.609 (MODAS/SEDAS) vs 0.564 (SLEDAI)
- Hospitalisations: AUC 0.609 (MODAS/SEDAS) vs 0.565 (SLEDAI)
- Definitions associated with worse outcomes, with dose-response relationship; overall predictive ability moderate
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Baseline classification: moderate and severe disease activity
- MODAS criteria met
- 20%
- SEDAS criteria met
- 24.6%
- Moderate by SLEDAI
- 10.5%
- Severe by SLEDAI
- 3.0%
Reclassification by MODAS/SEDAS · baseline
- Mild by SLEDAI reclassified
- 19.9%
- Moderate by SLEDAI reclassified
- 53.3%
Original publication
Validation of proposals for definitions of moderate and severe disease activity in SLE: impact on flares, quality of life, damage accrual, hospitalisations and mortality. Lupus Sci Med. Published 23 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →