Osho Patrick Olanrewaju¹, Medunoye Elihu Iyinolorun², Joshua Falade³, Ogunlusi Pelumi⁴

¹Department of haematology and Immunology, University of Medcal Sciences, Ondo State, Nigeria

²Department of Family Medicine, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Nigeria.

³Department of Pharmacy, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Nigeria.

⁴Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan

Corresponding Author; Dr. Osho P.O, Department of Haematology and Immunology, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Nigeria, droshopo@gmail.com and droshopo@unimed.edu.ng

Citation: Osho Patrick Olanrewaju, Medunoye Elihu Iyinolorun, Joshua Falade, Ogunlusi Pelumi, (2023). Haematological Pattern of Early Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Experience from Low Resource Economy. Bull Crit Care Med Res. 1(1),1-10.

Copyright: © 2023, Dr. Osho P.O. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

ABSTRACT

Background: Systemic lupus erythematous is a chronic autoimmune disorder that impacts multiple organ systems, with an estimated incidence of 0.5 per 100,000 people. The prevalence and treatment of this condition are, however, different in low-income countries than in high-income countries. In low resource economies, the disease, however, is more deadly and generally more severe. Although the exact cause of the etiology in low resource economies is unknown, it is believed to be a result of a combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors, with a possible contribution from infections agents and limited access to healthcare. The apparently low incidence of previously reported SLE may be attributed to low disease detection, particularly in primary health care, limited access to testing facilities, underdiagnosis due to limited access to health services, and shortage of specialists. However, second or third-line medications are not commonly used because patient pay out-of-pocket, high cost of drugs, and inadequate NHIS coverage.

Objective: To review the processes for diagnosis of SLE in low resource economy as well as current treatment options in use for the disease. To outline the challenges resulting from the unavailability of diagnostic equipment, especially in poor resource areas.

Methodology: This is a systematic review conducted over 10 years (January 2013 to December 2022) in order to find pertinent information on the diagnosis and available treatments for the disorder in our environment, it was designed to randomly access research publications using search engines, with reference to valid studies from academic sources like Research Gate, PubMed and Google Scholar. We also evaluated various related titles, abstracts and full reports for eligibility.

Results and conclusion: Anemia, Leucopenia, Lymphopania, Neutropenia, Thrombocytopenia and Elevated ESR are the major clinical features seen in patients with SLE and can be used for early diagnosis. Treatment options for SLE in our environment are often limited to steroids, Hydroxychloroquine and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Biologic agents and immunosuppressant’s are less used and often not available. There is a need for larger future studies and increasing the NHIS coverage into making more affordable and accessible diagnostic and treatment options.

KEYWORDS: SLE, Diagnosis, Suspicion, Treatment, Physicians