Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Critical Care Medicine

The intensity of the clinical manifestations of SLE may vary among different groups of patients, which could range from mild rashes and arthritis to debilitating fever, fatigue, arthralgia; and to severe organ failure and life-threatening disease in worst cases (Askanase, et al., 2012). The survival rates of SLE patients have significantly improved over the past 5 decades. However, as compared to the general population, a 3 to 5-fold increased risk of death, continues to persist (Bongu et al., 2002). The reported prevalence of SLE in the population is 20 to 140 cases per 100,000 (Chakravarty et al. 2007). The 5-year survival rate in SLE has dramatically increased since the mid-20th century from approximately 40 percent in the 1950s, to more than 90 percent in studies conducted after 1980 (Trager, 2001). This trend has continued into the early 21st century (Urowitz, et al., 2008). However, poor survival in SLE is still reported in certain ethnic groups such as Indians (Kumar, et al., 1992), Black Caribbeans (Nossent, et al., 1993) and Hispanics

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