Objective
Spirometric evaluation in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.
Methods
Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, forced expiratory flow between 25–75% of vital capacity (FEF25–75%) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) of 21 patients with juvenile SLE (jSLE) were compared to controls.
Result
Reduced FVC and FEF25–75% was found in 18 and 9 patients, respectively. All had normal FEV1/FVC. None had respiratory complaint. When compared to controls, patients had significantly reduced FVC [mean (SD):1.97 (0.56) vs 2.35 (0.60), P=0.002] and FEF25–75% [2.19 (0.83) vs 2.63 (0.76), P=0.028] but similar FEV1/FVC [86.87(7.03) vs 86.72 (6.35), P=0.639].
Conclusion
jSLE patients had significant restrictive pattern and small airway involvement.