TY - JOUR T1 - Serum Albumin as a Marker for Disease Activity in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol DO - 10.3899/jrheum.091028 SP - jrheum.091028 AU - Jonathan Yip AU - Elaheh Aghdassi AU - Jiandong Su AU - Wendy Lou AU - Heather Reich AU - Joanne Bargman AU - James Scholey AU - Dafna D. Gladman AU - Murray B. Urowitz AU - Paul R. Fortin Y1 - 2010/06/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2010/05/27/jrheum.091028.abstract N2 - Objective To determine whether serum albumin reflects disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without nephritis (LN, LNN), and whether serum albumin could be a surrogate marker of SLE disease activity overall. There is currently no clinical “gold standard” in the assessment of disease activity in SLE. Methods Patients with ≥ 3 clinic visits within a maximum followup period of 10 years were selected from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic database. Subjects were divided into 3 groups: LN-B, those with nephritis defined by histological findings on renal biopsies; LN-L, those with nephritis defined by laboratory abnormalities in the absence of biopsy; and LNN, those without nephritis. In a subanalysis, the renal groups were further stratified by proteinuria status. The associations of SLE-Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI-2K) with serum albumin and dsDNA were examined using the mixed model regression analysis. Results A total of 1078 patients were studied: 89.1% female, 71.5% white, mean age 33.6 (SD 12.6) years, and with median baseline SLEDAI-2K of 8. Serum albumin was more significantly associated with SLEDAI in LN-B and LN-L. The association was also present but weaker in the LNN group. In all LN, the associations between serum albumin and SLEDAI-2K were stronger in those with proteinuria. Conclusion In patients with SLE, higher SLEDAI was associated with lower serum albumin levels. ER -