Update on Outcome Measures for Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
October 2020
in “
Arthritis Care & Research
”
TLDR New tools and criteria have been developed to better assess and treat pediatric lupus.
The document reviewed advancements in outcome measures for pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE), emphasizing the need for criteria to define inactive disease and clinical remission. A study involving 1048 patients highlighted the limitations of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI) and its pediatric version in assessing damage severity, with 44.2% of patients showing an SDI score greater than 0 after 3.8 years. The study concluded that a separate measure is needed to capture damage severity accurately. Flare criteria were validated by 268 international pediatric rheumatologists, and the Childhood Lupus Improvement Index (CHILI) was developed for identifying clinically relevant improvement. Novel tools like the Pediatric Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (PedANAM), Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI), and Renal Activity Index for Lupus (RAIL) were introduced to enhance disease assessment and treatment response, potentially improving personalized therapeutic strategies and clinical trials in pSLE.
