ArticleThe open rheumatology journal2017
SLE and Serum Complement: Causative, Concomitant or Coincidental?
Article in The open rheumatology journal, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between complement 4 copy number variation and systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta-analysis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Biomarkers in the Management of Complement-Mediated Kidney Diseases in the Era of Complement Therapeutics.Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2026Review
- Functional Roles of the Complement Immune System in Cardiac Inflammation and Hypertrophy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- A presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus manifesting as abdominal pain: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2025Article
- Metabolic Alterations in Colombian Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Reveal Potential Lipid Biomarkers Associated with Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Unlocking therapeutic potential: Targeting lymphocyte activation Gene-3 (LAG-3) with fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) in systemic lupus erythematosus.Journal of translational autoimmunity · 2024Review
- Circulating Immune Complexes and Complement Activation in Sensitized Kidney Transplant Recipients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Celastrol ameliorates lupus by promoting apoptosis of autoimmune T cells and preventing autoimmune response in MRL/lpr mice.Lupus science & medicine · 2024Article
- Investigation of Nutritional Factors and Malnutrition Risk Prediction Model in Hospitalized Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in China.Journal of inflammation research · 2024Article
- Systemic Lupus Erythematous: Gene Polymorphisms, Epigenetics, Environmental, Hormonal and Nutritional Factors in the Consideration of Personalized Therapy.Archives of internal medicine research · 2024Article
- Phospholipase D4 as a signature of toll-like receptor 7 or 9 signaling is expressed on blastic T-bet + B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus.Arthritis research & therapy · 2023Article
- Does kidney biopsy in pediatric lupus patients "complement" the management and outcomes of silent lupus nephritis? Lessons learned from a pediatric cohort.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Observational
- Why are you hitting yourself? Whole-exome sequencing diagnosis of monogenic autoimmunity.Journal of genetics · 2023Article
- Gut microbiota: a newly identified environmental factor in systemic lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- The mosaic of autoimmunity - Finally discussing in person. The 13Autoimmunity reviews · 2022Article
- Elevated levels of C3, C4, and CH50 of the complement system in ICU and non-ICU patients with COVID-19.Health science reports · 2022Article
- Article
- Fibrinogen and Antifibrinolytic Proteins: Interactions and Future Therapeutics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Urinary MCP-1 and TWEAK as non-invasive markers of disease activity and treatment response in patients with lupus nephritis in South Africa.International urology and nephrology · 2021Observational
- Biomarkers Associated with Organ-Specific Involvement in Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an incurable autoimmune disorder with complement activation playing a key role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated tissue injury. While quantifying complement to monitor SLE disease activity has been the standard of care since the 1950s, decreased complement levels are not consistently associated with flares.
objectiveWe seek to clarify the SLE phenotype in which complement deficiency is causative, concomitant, or coincidental.
methodsA PUBMED literature review was conducted using key words 'complement,' 'SLE,' and 'SLE flares' in English-only journals from 1972-2017. Relevant clinical studies and review articles were found that examined the measurement of complement levels in SLE, and more specifically, interpretation of low serum complement levels regardless of disease activity.
conclusionComplement activation plays a key role in the pathophysiology of SLE and it is recommended to continue monitoring serum levels of C3 and C4 to assess for disease activity. However, it is important to note that decreased serum complement is not consistently associated with disease flares.It is clinically important to find novel ways to assess disease activity in SLE. Reduced serum levels of cell-bound complement activation products may more accurately reflect disease activity than conventional serum C3 and C4 monitoring.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.