RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Canadian Rheumatology Association Recommendations for the Assessment and Monitoring of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP 1426 OP 1439 DO 10.3899/jrheum.171459 VO 45 IS 10 A1 Stephanie O. Keeling A1 Zainab Alabdurubalnabi A1 Antonio Avina-Zubieta A1 Susan Barr A1 Louise Bergeron A1 Sasha Bernatsky A1 Josiane Bourre-Tessier A1 Ann Clarke A1 Alexandra Baril-Dionne A1 Jan Dutz A1 Stephanie Ensworth A1 Aurore Fifi-Mah A1 Paul R. Fortin A1 Dafna D. Gladman A1 Derek Haaland A1 John G. Hanly A1 Linda T. Hiraki A1 Sara Hussein A1 Kimberly Legault A1 Deborah Levy A1 Lily Lim A1 Mark Matsos A1 Emily G. McDonald A1 Jorge Medina-Rosas A1 Jordi Pardo Pardi A1 Christine Peschken A1 Christian Pineau A1 Janet Pope A1 Tamara Rader A1 Jen Reynolds A1 Earl Silverman A1 Konstantinos Tselios A1 Manon Suitner A1 Murray Urowitz A1 Zahi Touma A1 Evelyne Vinet A1 Nancy Santesso YR 2018 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/45/10/1426.abstract AB Objective. To develop recommendations for the assessment of people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Canada.Methods. Recommendations were developed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach. The Canadian SLE Working Group (panel of Canadian rheumatologists and a patient representative from Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance) was created. Questions for recommendation development were identified based on the results of a previous survey of SLE practice patterns of members of the Canadian Rheumatology Association. Systematic literature reviews of randomized trials and observational studies were conducted. Evidence to Decision tables were prepared and presented to the panel at 2 face-to-face meetings and online.Results. There are 15 recommendations for assessing and monitoring SLE, with varying applicability to adult and pediatric patients. Three recommendations focus on diagnosis, disease activity, and damage assessment, suggesting the use of a validated disease activity score per visit and annual damage score. Strong recommendations were made for cardiovascular risk assessment and measuring anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies in the peripartum period and conditional recommendations for osteoporosis and osteonecrosis. Two conditional recommendations were made for peripartum assessments, 1 for cervical cancer screening and 2 for hepatitis B and C screening. A strong recommendation was made for annual influenza vaccination.Conclusion. These are considered the first guidelines using the GRADE method for the monitoring of SLE. Existing evidence is largely of low to moderate quality, resulting in more conditional than strong recommendations. Additional rigorous studies and special attention to pediatric SLE populations and patient preferences are needed.