A cross-sectional and prospective study found that blood samples from patients with probable systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) but not meeting ACR classification criteria (n = 92) are more frequently positive for cell-bound complement activation products (CB-CAPs), measured either directly (28%) or within a multi-analyte assay panel (MAP; 40%), than for low serum complement levels (9%). A MAP score >0.8 at enrolment predicted transition from pSLE to classifiable SLE within 18 months, and was a better predictor of this transition than other serum biomarkers assessed in the study, including anti-dsDNA antibody positivity and low complement levels.
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Ramsey-Goldman, R. et al. Complement activation occurs in patients with probable systemic lupus erythematosus and may predict progression to ACR classified SLE. Arthritis Rheumatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.41093 (2019)
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Onuora, S. Complement activation precedes classifiable SLE. Nat Rev Rheumatol 15, 636 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-019-0310-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-019-0310-y