Metrics and Outcomes of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Clinical Practice

This chapter explores advantages and disadvantages of using outcome metrics to clinically monitor patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in clinical practice. Advantages include regular objective assessments of disease activity and damage along with prognostic assessments of morbidity and mortality. Disadvantages include administrative burden and the time commitment necessary to carry out the instruments. We also review current guidelines that recommend patient assessments using validated instruments of disease activity and validated disease damage metrics. We also provide an overview of several validated disease activity and damage metrics including the SLEDAI, SLAM, SLE-DAS, and BILAG.