Nepal is a small country that is landlocked between India and China. Several ethnic groups live within the 147,181 km2 of this country. Geographic diversity ranges from the high Himalayas to the flatlands of the Ganges plains. Lupus nephritis (LN), a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a common kidney problem in Nepal; but the real incidence and prevalence of SLE in Nepal is largely not known. Here, it more commonly affects people (mostly women) living in the southern flatlands, but SLE is reported to be uncommon further south in India. Even though the disease appears to be common, good quality research is uncommon in Nepali literature. This article was written to provide a review of the articles published to date about SLE in Nepal and to discuss the gaps in knowledge that require further evaluation.
DanchenkoNSatiaJAAnthonyMS. Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus: A comparison of worldwide disease burden. Lupus2006; 15: 308–318.
2.
SamantaAFeehallyJRoySNicholFESheldonPJWallsJ. High prevalence of systemic disease and mortality in Asian subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis1991; 50: 490–492.
3.
TiklyMNavarraSV. Lupus in the developing world: Is it any different?Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol2008; 22: 643–655.
4.
HopkinsonNDDohertyMPowelRJ. Clinical features and race-specific incidence/prevalence rates of systemic lupus erythematosus in a geographically complete cohort of patients. Ann Rheum Dis1994; 53: 675–680.
5.
GaydenTMirabalSCadenasAM. Genetic insights into the origins of Tibeto-Burman populations in the Himalayas. J Hum Genet2009; 54: 216–223.
6.
CordauxRAungerRBentleyGNasidzeISirajuddinSMStonekingM. Independent origins of Indian caste and tribal paternal lineages. Curr Biol2004; 14: 231–235.
7.
KumarA. Indian guidelines on the management of SLE. J Indian Rheumatol Assoc2002; 10: 80–96.
8.
MalaviyaANChandrasekaranANKumarASharmarPN. Systemic lupus erythematosus in India. Lupus1997; 6: 690–700.
9.
LiRSunJRenLM. Epidemiology of eight common rheumatic diseases in China: A large-scale cross-sectional survey in Beijing. Rheumatology2012; 51: 721–729.
10.
JuJHYoonSHKangKY. Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus in South Korea: An administrative database study. J Epidemiol2014; 24: 295–303.
11.
ChiuYMLaiCH. Nationwide population-based epidemiologic study of systemic lupus erythematosus in Taiwan. Lupus2010; 19: 1250–1255.
12.
JakesRWBaeSCLouthrenooWMokCCNavarraSVKwonN. Systematic review of the epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus in the Asia-Pacific Region: Prevalence, incidence, clinical features and mortality. Arthritis Care Res2012; 64: 159–168.
13.
Osio-SalidoEManapat-ReyesH. Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus in Asia. Lupus2010; 19: 1365–1373.
14.
BharadwajAShenoyDAggarwalA. Polyradiculopathy in a patient of systemic lupus erythematosus. J Assoc Physicians India2003; 51: 304–305.
15.
ShresthaNKKhanalBSharmaSKDhakalSSKanungoR. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. Scand J Infect Dis2003; 35: 514–516.
16.
DasRNPaudelR. Spectrum of rheumatological disorders: An experience of 337 cases in a tertiary care hospital in Pokhara valley, Nepal. APLAR J Rheum2006; 9: 248–256.
17.
BudhathokiSShresthaPBhattaN. Systemic lupus erythematosus in childhood: A review of 11 patients at a single center in eastern Nepal. Nepal Med Coll J2007; 9: 186–190.
18.
BhattaNKShresthaPBudathokiS. Profile of renal diseases in Nepalese children. Kathmandu Univ Med J2008; 6: 191–194.
19.
AryalGKafleRK. Hisopathological spectrum of glomerular disease in Nepal: A seven-year retrospective study. Nepal Med Coll J2008; 10: 126–128.
20.
ShresthaPBhattaNKTiwariA. Glomerular diseases in children: A review of 27 cases recorded at a single centre in Eastern Nepal. J Nepal Paediatr Soc2009; 29: 26–29.
21.
AgrawalRKHadaRKhakurelSBaralA. Analysis of eight years data of renal disorders in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. Postgrad Med J NAMS2009; 9: 28–34.
22.
PaudyalB. Antiphospholipid syndrome in childhood systemic lupus erythematosus. J Nepal Health Res Counc2010; 8: 51–54.
23.
ShresthaPSakamotoSShibukawaMKiuraYOkazakiTKurisuK. Intracranial aneurysm with systemic lupus erythematosus treated by endovascular intervention. J Nepal Med Assoc2010; 49: 59–61.
24.
DhakalSSSharmaSKBhattaN. Clinical features and histological patterns of lupus nephritis in Eastern Nepal. Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl2011; 22: 377–380.
25.
SitaulaRShahDNSinghD. The spectrum of ocular involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus in a tertiary eye care center in Nepal. Ocul Immunol Inflamm2011; 19: 422–425.
26.
PaudyalB. Lemierre’s syndrome in a patient with severe lupus nephritis. J Nepal Med Assoc2011; 51: 137–140.
27.
BhattaraiSAgrawalSRijalASharmaSKDhakalSS. Spectrum of cutaneous manifestations in lupus erythematous: A dermatologist perspective. Health Renaissance2012; 10: 8–11.
28.
PaudyalBPGyawaleeM. Clinical profile of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Nepal Med Assoc2012; 52: 111–117.
29.
ShresthaHAnilOSayamiA. A rare case of systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as cardiac tamponade. Nepalese Heart J2012; 9: 82–82.
30.
DhakalSSBhattaraiLManandharDNDevkotaKCSharmaSKBhattaN. Tuberculosis in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: One year follow-up study from Nepal. Nepal Med Coll J2012; 14: 244–246.
31.
DhunganaSPShresthaSKKashyapAKPiryaniRMAcharyaGP. The etiology of fever in patients presented at KIST Medical College, Teaching Hospital, Lalitpur, Nepal. Nepal Med Coll J2012; 14: 241–243.
KafleMPShahDSShresthaSSigdelMRRautKB. Prevalence of specific types of kidney disease in patients undergoing kidney biopsy: A single centre experience. J Adv Intern Med2014; 3: 5–10.
36.
GhimireMPahariBPaudelNDasGDasGCSharmaSK. Kidney biopsy: An experience from tertiary hospital. J Nepal Med Assoc2014; 52: 708–713.
37.
AgrawaalKKDhakalSS. Systemic lupus erythematosus in males: A case series. Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl2014; 25: 638–642.
38.
ShahGSYadavSP. Clinical profile and outcome of acute glomerulonephritis in a tertiary care centre in Eastern Nepal. J Inst Med2014; 36: 29–33.
39.
KhatunNBistaKPMahasethC. Spectrum of biopsy proven glomerular disease in children at Kanti Children’s Hospital. J Nepal Paediatr Soc2014; 34: 225–229.
40.
PantAD. Lupus nephritis: Update on aetiopathogenesis and controversies in classification. J Pathol Nepal2014; 4: 672–676.
41.
SharmaAKSitaulaSThapaM. Systemic lupus erythematosus with antiphospholipid syndrome presenting as seizure disorder and retinopathy. J Inst Med2014; 36: 83–87.
42.
Sigdel MR. Clinicopathological correlation in lupus nephritis and treatment outcomes. DM Thesis, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2013.
43.
TanEMCohenASFriesJF. The 1982 revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum1982; 25: 1271–1277.
44.
HochbergMC. Updating the American College of Rheumatology revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum1997; 40: 1725–1725.
45.
SaigalRKansalAMittalMSinghYMahariaHRJunejaM. Clinical profile of systemic lupus erythematosus patients at a tertiary care centre in Western India. J Indian Acad Clin Med2011; 13: 27–32.
46.
AhmedASRahimMADewanP. Spectrum of rheumatological disorders: A clinic-based study. J Med2014; 15: 23–27.
47.
HellerTAhmedMSiddiqqiAWallrauchCBahlasS. Systemic lupus erythematosus in Saudi Arabia: Morbidity and mortality in a multiethnic population. Lupus2007; 16: 908–914.
48.
CojocaruMCojocaruIMSilosiIVrabieCD. Manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. Maedica2011; 6: 330–336.
49.
BashalF. Hematological disorders in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Open Rheumatol J2013; 7: 87–95.
50.
World Health Organization (WHO). Worldwide prevalence of anaemia 1993–2005: WHO global database on anaemia, Geneva: WHO, 2008.
51.
FlesherDLSunXBehrensTWGrahamRRCriswellLA. Recent advances in the genetics of systemic lupus erythematosus. Expert Rev Clin Immunol2010; 6: 461–479.
52.
ConnellyKMorandEFHoiAY. Asian ethnicity in systemic lupus erythematosus: An Australian perspective. Intern Med J2013; 43: 618–624.
