Ultrasound-Based Detection Of Subclinical Arthritis Among Patients With Systemic Lupus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder associated with a wide range of symptoms and physical findings. It is characterized by loss of tolerance to self-antigens, formation of immune complexes, and an activated type I interferon system .

Joint involvement is one of the most common features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with up to 95% of patients experiencing arthralgia or arthritis during the course of their disease .

While multiple joints can be affected, nearly 50% of patients report difficulties in daily life performance due to hand symptoms .

Traditionally, SLE arthritis is considered to be mild, reversible and non-erosive, with only 5-15% of cases progressing to deforming arthropathy, either erosive-as in rhupus syndrome (an overlap of SLE with rheumatoid arthritis (RA))-or non-erosive-as in Jaccoud's arthropathy .

In routine clinical practice, joint involvement is usually assessed with physical examination and radiographical studies. However, this approach has been shown to have a low sensitivity for joint abnormalities when compared with ultrasound (US) evaluation or MRI, suggesting that the burden of joint inflammation may be underestimated in the current clinical practice .