Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an idiopathic autoimmune disorder that predominantly afflicts women in the childbearing years.44 SLE is acknowledged as a multigenic disease in which environmental factors are likely to modulate expression of susceptibility genes.40 In addition to the environment, evidence supports the concept that the geographic origin of populations and age affect the presentation and clinical course of SLE.8,10,33 Together, these factors contribute to the prevalence of SLE, which approximates 14.6 to 50.8 cases per 100,000 people in the United States. During the past two decades, epidemiologic analyses have revealed that SLE can present de novo in people in the sixth decade of life and older.85 Presentation and clinical course of the disease often differ from that observed in persons whose disease onset is in the second through fourth decades. An abnormal immune response involving both the cellular and humoral arms of the immune system has been well characterized in SLE, and continues to be the focus of intensive scrutiny.1 Whether the mechanisms underlying the abnormal immune response in younger-onset SLE are similar to or different from that in older-onset lupus remains largely unexplored. This article reviews recent information about the epidemiology, immune response, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, treatment, and prognosis in late-onset SLE. Because SLE has a higher incidence in younger and middle-aged adults and its clinical manifestations during these periods are more familiar, the clinical presentation and course of older and younger cohorts is compared whenever possible. Such a comparison will underscore the differences and the similarities of the clinical manifestations and will provide new insights and understanding of how age affects the clinical presentation of SLE.

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   |wiki=    Sante
   |area=    ChloroquineV1
   |flux=    Main
   |étape=   Exploration
   |type=    RBID
   |clé=     ISTEX:A52EC4391260D3DB7095D6F0169A1265B635AFE0
   |texte=   SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS IN THE ELDERLY
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