Noninfectious Causes of Fever in 128 Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background: This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of noninfectious fever in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the underlying causes through multivariate analysis. Methods: Clinical data of 128 patients with SLE who were admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Universi-ty of TCM, Nanjing 210029, P.R. China from January 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The following factors were closely associated with fever: patient age, treatment history, SLEDAI score, enlarged liver, spleen and lymph nodes, low hemoglobin, leukopenia, CRP, complement C3, albumin, anti-dsDNA antibody, glucocorticoids, and cyclophosphamide. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that factors, such as enlarged liver, spleen and lymph nodes, digestive system involvement, low hemoglobin, leuko-penia, CRP, decreased albumin, anti-dsDNA antibody, glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, were closely as-sociated with noninfectious fever in SLE. Conclusion: Noninfectious fever is a common clinical manifestation of SLE. Factors, such as enlarged liver, spleen and lymph nodes, digestive system involvement, low hemoglobin, leukopenia, CRP, decreased albumin, anti-dsDNA antibody, glucocorticoids, and cyclophosphamide, were independent risk factors for noninfectious fever in SLE.