Drug Use in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Outpatients

Abstract

The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, affecting most of the patients' organ systems. The disease is considered to be a chronic disease and its effect makes unpredictable flares. According to Yayasan Lupus Indonesia (YLI), in this decade, the total amount of SLE patients is increasing. Drug use evaluation in SLE patients is needed to improve the treatment so that the patient gets the optimal outcome. The overall aim of this research is to determine the drugs given for patients with SLE and also to know the characteristics of patients with SLE. This was a descriptive study, non-experimental research, conducted from April to August 2017. The subjects had already been diagnosed with SLE for more than 3 months. Two hundred and twenty-two patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most of them (98.20%) were women, on a productive age. Only 7.66 % of the patients were given no immunosuppressant. The most used was a combination of 19.82% of methylprednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil. To reduce the side effect of the prolonged use of corticosteroid drugs, 55.41% was given Calcium supplements and Vitamin D, and 30.18% was given anti-nausea and vomiting. The average number of drugs given was six. The most drug use in SLE outpatients was corticosteroids and the physicians had already combined the therapy with Calcium, Vitamin D, antinausea vomiting to reduce its side effect. There was no correlation between age and disease duration with the total drug given to the SLE outpatients (p 0.14 and 0.60).