Retrospective Analysis of the Factors Affecting Growth Parameters in Turkish Children With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Sibel BALCI1
, Rabia Miray KIŞLA EKİNCİ1, Engin MELEK2, Aysun KARABAY BAYAZIT2, Dilek DOĞRUEL3, Derya UFUK ALTINTAŞ3, Mustafa YILMAZ1
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Çukurova University School of Medicine, Adana, Turkey
2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Çukurova University School of Medicine, Adana, Turkey
3Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Çukurova University School of Medicine, Adana, Turkey
Keywords: Children, corticosteroid, damage, growth, juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to investigate the growth parameters in Turkish children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to compare these growth parameters according to the presence or absence of cyclophosphamide, rituximab treatment, cumulative corticosteroid dose, proliferative nephritis, and the last visit disease activity and damage index.
Patients and methods: Medical data, growth parameters including z-scores for weight, height, and body mass index and parent-adjusted height z-scores of 45 juvenile SLE (jSLE) patients (5 males, 40 females; mean age 12.3±3.2 years; range 7.1 to 18 years) were retrospectively evaluated. Growth parameters were calculated by anthropometric references in Turkish children. The disease activity was assessed by the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). The disease outcome was measured by the Pediatric version of Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index.
Results: The median diagnostic delay was two months (range, 0-36 months). The median follow-up duration was 3.21 years (range, 0.63-9.48 years). Mean height z-score was significantly lower at last visit than at the time of diagnosis. The growth parameters did not differ according to age at disease onset, diagnostic delay, presence of proliferative nephritis, having cyclophosphamide and rituximab treatment and the last visit (SLEDAI-2K) scores. The median duration of corticosteroid treatment was 3.2 years (range, 0.6-9.4 years) and the median cumulative corticosteroid dosage was 13.9 g (range, 1.9-58 g) of methylprednisolone. The mean height z-score at last visit was significantly lower in those who received at least 10 g of cumulative dose of corticosteroid. The last visit mean parent-adjusted height z-scores did not differ significantly regarding the cumulative corticosteroid dose.
Conclusion: The last visit height and parent-adjusted height z-scores of jSLE patients were significantly lower. The patients treated with at least 10 g of cumulative dose of corticosteroids had lower mean height z-score.
Citation: Balcı S, Kışla Ekinci RM, Melek E, Karabay Bayazıt A, Doğruel D, Ufuk Altıntaş D, et al. Retrospective Analysis of the Factors Affecting Growth Parameters in Turkish Children With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arch Rheumatol 2020;35(3):357-365.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.