Systemic lupus erythematosus epidemiology

Parks CG, Cooper GS, Nylander-French LA, Hoppin JA, Sanderson WT, Dement JM (2004a) Comparing methods to assess occupational silica exposure in a population-based case-control study of systemic lupus erythematosus. Epidemiology, 15 433-441. 

For some autoimmune diseases, little is known about environmental factors involved in the initiation or progression of the disease. For other diseases, however, considerable research has been conducted on one or more types of exposures. Most epidemiologic studies of environmental influences have focused on multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, and small vessel vasculitis, but experimental studies using murine models of these diseases is limited (Table 25.1). 

Strong mechanistic evidence from rodent models of autoimmune disease of viral or other infectious agents affecting autoimmunity or progression to overt disease, but harder to demonstrate in humans. Enterovirus (Coxsackie virus) focus of epidemiologic studies in type 1 diabetes, Epstein-Barr virus focus of epidemiologic studies in multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. 

H13. Hochberg, M., The epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus. In Dubois Lupus Erythematosus (D. J. Wallace and B. H. Hahn, eds.), pp. 49-65. Williams Wilkins, Baltimore, 1997. 

M Siegal, SL Lee, NS Peress. The epidemiology of drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 10 407, 1967. 

Petri M. Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2002 16 847-858. 

There has been considerable interest in the role of Epstein-Barr virus in the etiology of several autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis. Epstein-Barr virus is a common infection. Most people (90% or more) are infected, without symptoms or with only mild, nonspecific symptoms, during childhood. When people are exposed as teenagers or as adults, however, infection may result in mononucleosis. Of importance with respect to autoimmune diseases, Epstein-Barr virus infects B cells and results in a latent infection. A close similarity between a peptide sequence in the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 and a sequence in the Sm autoantigen, one of the autoantibodies seen in systemic lupus erythematosus, has been reported (Sabbatini et al., 1993). In addition, several epidemiological studies have demonstrated strong associations between exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, as demonstrated by virus-specific IgG or IgA antibodies, and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in children (James et al., 1997) and adults (James et al., 2001 Parks et al., 2005). 

GEOEPIGENETICS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) TABLE 10.1 Epidemiological and Epigenetic Factors (i.e., Geoepigenetics) of Autoimmune Diseases 141... 

Danchenko N, Satia JA, Anthony MS. Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus a comparison of worldwide disease burden. Lupus. 2006 15(5) 308-318. 

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