Observational studyRheumatology (Oxford, England)2025
Improving the arthritis component of the SLEDAI-2K.
Observational study in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluating the concordance between BICLA and SRI4 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from the placebo arms of the EXPLORER and ATHOS trials.Lupus science & medicine · 2025Trial
- Updates on the Evaluation of Lupus Arthritis.Rheumatology and therapy · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo propose a new definition for SLEDAI arthritis informed by imaging.
methodsWe performed a planned secondary analysis of observational data from a multicentre study evaluating SLE patients with inflammatory joint pain (swelling not required) using various clinical instruments, laboratory tests and ultrasound. For SLEDAI arthritis, assessors (blinded to ultrasound) were asked which of the glossary terms for arthritis in any version of the SLEDAI drove their decision to score for arthritis. These definitions were tested against ultrasound and other clinical variables. ROC analysis was used to test optimal joint count thresholds.
resultsA total of 78/133 patients had arthritis on SLEDAI-2K. In 21/78, clinician-observed swelling was not a reason for scoring (tenderness: 16/21; reported swelling between visits: 4/21; both of these: 1/21). No patient was scored for warmth or erythema alone. In total, 57 (73.1%) patients were scored for SLEDAI arthritis due to observed swelling, 90% had abnormal ultrasound (PPV = 90%, 95%CI: 79, 94). Of 21 patients with SLEDAI arthritis without observed swelling, 48% had abnormal ultrasound (PPV: 48%, 95%CI: 31, 67). Patients with SLEDAI arthritis with swelling had higher ESR, physician MSK-VAS, patient early morning stiffness (EMS)-VAS and IgG compared with other patients. Optimal sensitivity and specificity for ultrasound synovitis was 1 swollen joint using Youden's criteria.
conclusionsOur data suggest that the definition of arthritis in SLEDAI be modified to: 'Inflammatory musculoskeletal pain (symmetrical small joint distribution), with one or more clinically swollen joints witnessed on examination, that is not explained by another arthropathy'.
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