N Arathi, PK Sasidharan, P Geetha

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which cells and tissues undergo damage mediated by tissue-binding autoantibodies. At its onset, it may involve one organ alone or more than one organ simultaneously; over a time, additional manifestations due to the involvement of other organs may occur. Our observations have confirmed that hematological manifestations are the commonest initial presentation in SLE. The criteria used till 2012 was the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, which is only a classification criterion and not really for diagnosis; if we rely on ACR criteria, the diagnosis is often delayed. Time required for satisfying all four of the eleven criteria is variable and prolonged. Moreover, hematological manifestations are underrepresented in the ACR criteria. Based on the clinical observations made on patients evaluated in a tertiary center in North Kerala, an alternate diagnostic criterion named the Kozhikode criteria was proposed, especially for the diagnosis of SLE when it presents with hematological manifestations alone. The present study was an attempt to validate the same and to look for any association of diet and lifestyle with the disease.