Systemic lupus erythematosus on the Caribbean island of Curacao: an epidemiological investigation.

To determine the incidence, prevalence, and outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a well delineated black population in the Caribbean basin data were collected on the disease course of all patients with definite SLE seen during a 10 year period (1980-9) using three different sources of information (hospital records, private practice records, and death certificates). Ninety four patients were identified giving an average annual incidence rate of 4.6/100,000 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4 to 8.8), which showed little variation during the study period. Twenty five patients (27%) die... Mehr ...