Systemic lupus erythematosus in Spanish males: a study of the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) cohort

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe the demographic, clinical, and immunological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in male patients.MethodsA cross-sectional, multicenter study was carried out of 3651 patients (353 men, 9.7%, and 3298 women, 90.2%) diagnosed with SLE, included in the Spanish Rheumatology Society SLE Registry (RELESSER).ResultsMean ages (18–92 years) of symptom onset were 37 (SD 17) years (men) and 32 (SD 14) years (women). Male/female ratio was 1/9. Age of onset of symptoms and age at diagnosis were higher in men than in women (p < 0.001). Males were diagnosed earlier than females (p = 0.04) and had more cardiovascular comorbidities (p < 0.001). Two hundred and thirty-six males (68%) with SLE required hospitalization in comparison with 1713 females (53%) (p < 0.001). During follow-up, 208 patients died: 30 men (9.3%) and 178 women (5.9%) (p = 0.02). As regards clinical manifestations, loss of weight (p = 0.01), lymphadenopathies (p = 0.02), and splenomeg...