BIOMARKERS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND DISEASE ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH ARTHRITIS

Systemic lupus erythematosus is one of the autoimmune diseases with complex etiology. Arthritis is one of the commonest manifestations of lupus. There are several serological markers available for the differential diagnosis of SLE. This study compared the diagnostic markers Anti nuclear antibody and Anti ds DNA antibody in untreated SLE patients with Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and Complement protein C3 & C4 levels to identify and analyze the relationship and utility of using the different markers in conjunction for the diagnosis of lupus arthritis.