ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 5

Effects of Puberty on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus:  Results of a multi-center prospective longitudinal observational study in children entering puberty with SLE

Kathleen O'Neil1, Hermine Brunner2, Andrew Zeft3, Anne Stevens4, Suzanne Li5, Tracey Wright6, Emily von Scheven7, B. Anne Eberhard8, C. Egla Rabinovich9 and Deborah M. Levy10, 1Pediatrics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 2Rheumatology, PRCSG, Cincinnati, OH, 3Pediatrics Rheumatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 4University of Washington, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle, WA, 5Pediatrics, Joseph M Sanzari Children’s Hospital, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack, NJ, 6Pediatrics/Rheumatology, University of TX Southwestern, Dallas, TX, 7Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 8Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, NY, 9Pediatric Rheumatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 10Division of Rheumatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

Meeting: 2017 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium

Keywords: Adipokines, Disease Activity, Puberty, sex hormones and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Session Information

Date: Friday, May 19, 2017

Title: Plenary Abstract Session 2

Session Type: Abstract Submissions

Session Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM

Background/Purpose:  Lupus often presents during puberty, and when it affects pre-pubertal children, disease activity is thought to increase at puberty. Sex hormones play some role in lupus expression, yet the picture is more complex then sex steroids alone, as shown by the SELENA trial. How lupus disease activity varies during the ~3 year process of puberty is surmised, but not documented by evidence.

Methods:  Children fulfilling 4 or more ACR classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus who were between the ages of 8 and 12 years (girls) or 11 and 14 years (boys) whose pubertal development was Tanner 1 or early Tanner 2 were consented and enrolled in a prospective longitudinal observational study to assess what pubertal events and hormone changes affected lupus disease activity as measured by the SELENA SLEDAI. They were evaluated every 3 months until after the completion of puberty. Flares were defined as mild to moderate (MMF) if SLEDAI increased by 3 to 5 points, and severe (SvF) if 6 or more compared to the previous 3 monthly assessment. If SLEDAI decreased by at least 3 points, the visit was considered improved (IMP). Multivariate fitting after stepwise model slelection was used to correlate hormone changes with disease activity. Generalized equalizing equations were used to compare changes in disease activity over time and multiple regression analysis to compare factors potentially influencing disease activity. In some analyses, girls with pre-pubertal onset SLE (PreP) were compared to girls with post-pubertal (age 15 or more, PostP) SLE from two contemporaneously collected cohorts (HI Brunner).

Results:  Of 55 girls with pre-pubertal onset lupus 100% had ds-DNA antibody vs 70% with SLE onset age >15 (p=0.001). PreP were twice as likely to have anemia (37 vs 18%, p=0.01) as PostP, and they had more nephritis at onset (60 vs 40%, p<0.02). Serum concentration of FSH, LH and estradiol did not correlate temporally with flare. In 270 visits from 65 pubertal children with SLE (55 F, 10 M), 48 had MMF (17.8%) and 19 had SvF (7.04%); 24.8% had any flare. In 63 visits (23.3%) SLEDAI decreased >3 points (IMP). 49% of visits had change in activity sufficient to consider alterring treatment. 16 entered puberty and 17 transitioned from Tanner 2-3. Flares were associated with Tanner stages 2 and 3 (p=0.008) vs Tanner 1. No severe flares happened in/after Tanner 4. Flares correlated with rapid falls in visfatin (OR 0.072, p=0.002), high adiponectin (OR 1.20, p=0.0046), and neither estradiol nor testosterone correlated with flare. IMP correlated with testosterone (p=0.023) and followed a drop in adiponectin (0.008) and rise in prolactin (p=0.003) and resistin (p=0.026).

Conclusion:  Trasition from pre-puberty to early puberty is associated with flares in SLE, which falls after Tanner 4 is reached. Puberty is a tumultuous time for children with SLE with half the visits requiring medication adjustment because of flares and improvements. Adipokine changes in serum are temporally related to disease activity. Higher concentrations of testosterone appear to exert a calming effect on lupus disease activity.


Disclosure: K. O'Neil, None; H. Brunner, None; A. Zeft, 1,5; A. Stevens, 2,7; S. Li, None; T. Wright, None; E. von Scheven, None; B. A. Eberhard, None; C. E. Rabinovich, None; D. M. Levy, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

O'Neil K, Brunner H, Zeft A, Stevens A, Li S, Wright T, von Scheven E, Eberhard BA, Rabinovich CE, Levy DM. Effects of Puberty on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus:  Results of a multi-center prospective longitudinal observational study in children entering puberty with SLE [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69 (suppl 4). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-puberty-on-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-results-of-a-multi-center-prospective-longitudinal-observational-study-in-children-entering-puberty-with-sle/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

« Back to 2017 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effects-of-puberty-on-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-results-of-a-multi-center-prospective-longitudinal-observational-study-in-children-entering-puberty-with-sle/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology