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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can present in various ways in children and adolescents. The diagnosis is often delayed or missed for many months. These investigators summarized the presentation of 39 children who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE.
The median age was 12 years (range, 5 to 18 years), and 37 of the 39 patients were female. The most common presenting manifestations were musculoskeletal (e.g., intermittent arthralgia and arthritis, myalgia, weakness), in 74 percent, and cutaneous (e.g., malar rash, mucocutaneous ulcerations, alopecia), in 72 percent. Renal disease (28 percent) and neurologic signs (28 percent) were less common. Twenty-six patients had early manifestations suggestive of SLE, where…