The prevalence and risk factors for serositis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of serositis and identify risk factors for serositis in a large cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the medical records of patients hospitalized with SLE at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and Anhui Provincial Hospital. Patients were diagnosed with serositis when they presented with symptoms and signs of pleuritis or/and pericarditis. We explored factors associated with the generation and quantity of serositis by using binary and ordinal logistic regression analysis. Among the 1668 lupus patients, 298 have serositis. Active lupus disease, fever (≥38 °C) and high D-dimer were all significantly associated with the generation and quantity of serositis. Male gender was independent significant risk factor for pleuritis but not for pericarditis, while low complement C4 and high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were risk factors for pericarditis rather than for pleuritis. The possible prevalence of serositis in patients with SLE was 17.9%. The significant associations of active lupus disease, fever (≥38 °C) and high D-dimer with serositis suggest that higher disease activity and hypercoagulability may both contribute to the generation and development of serositis in SLE. The risk factors for pleuritis and pericarditis in SLE are similar but not identical.