Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the Kenyatta National Hospital

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex disease with varied clinical presentation and autoantibody production. It has previously been reported as rare in Black Africans. We established a Rheumatology clinic at the Kenyatta National Hospital in April 2010, and a 1 year audit of this clinic was carried out in September 2011. This is a report of this audit of patients who met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE. Thirteen patients met the ACR criteria; their mean age was 34 years, and they were all female. The commonest manifestations were malar rash and arthritis in 69.2 %. Antinuclear antibody was present in 79.6 %, and anti-dsDNA was present in 38.5 %. None of them had human immunodeficiency virus infection; 30 % had other comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and renal failure). Thirty percent also had an infection during this period. All these 13 were on prednisolone and 92 % of them were on hydroxychloroquine. There was no reported death during the study period. This confirms the presence of SLE in patients in Kenya who meet the ACR criteria.