Familial Lupus and Clinical Characteristics in Saudi Arabia

Background: It has been proven that a family history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a risk factor for the development of the disease, and the risk increases with increasing number of relatives affected. In Saudi Arabia, high consanguinity rate leads to higher incidence of familial form than in other countries. We compare the percentage of familial versus sporadic SLE among Saudi patients. The second aim of the present study is to compare clinical characteristics between the two forms of the disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 47 female patients whom are selected and investigated through three phases. We have added additional two categories of relatives, based on unconventional definition. We have examined and compared demographic characteristics of the patients with familial and sporadic SLE. We have also compared the percentage of familial vs. sporadic lupus and clinical characteristics of the two forms. Results: All the patients are females, aged between 18 and 43 years. The highest percentage of patients resides in the central region of Saudi Arabia (34%). The origin of the big family or tribe also most commonly occurs in the central region (34%). Data analysis results in 27.7% of patients with familial form of SLE. Sporadic form is found in 72.3% of patients. Consanguinity between patients’ parents is noticed in both familial form (61.5%) and sporadic form (58.8%). Clinical manifestations are similar between patients with familial and sporadic form. Conclusion: Our results show a high percentage of familial lupus among Saudi patients. More research is required in order to estimate the inheritance pattern of familial SLE and involvement of genetic and environmental factors.