Lupus Survival Rates Plateau Over Last 9 Years

Over the past 20 years, survival rates among adult and pediatric patients have not increased. This data is based off of 125 adult and 51 pediatric patients from high income and low/middle-income countries dating back to the 1950s. Previously from the 1950s -1990s, the five-year survival of adult Lupus patients increased from 50% to 60% up to even 95%. Pediatric patients during that same time frame also saw an increase from 60% to 70% in the 1950s to even more in the 1980s at 90%. In light of those improved statistics, recent data suggests the survival rate has plateaued from the 1980s until now. From 2008 to 2016 the five-year, 10-year, and 15-year survive rates for adult patients from high-income families were 0.95, 0.89 and 0.82. In low/middle- income countries the numbers were even lower at 0.92, 0.85 and 0.79. During the same eight year period, pediatric patients from high income countries’ five-year and 10-year survival rates were 0.99 and 0.97. In low income countries the numbers were, again, lower at 0.85 and 0.79. Researchers at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and National institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases wanted to further look into this research study to confirm these findings by review all published studies measuring survival in both adult and pediatric Lupus patients between 1950-2016.  Researchers wrote, “Differences in survival between high-income countries and low/middle-income countries were more striking in pediatric Lupus studies, with a gap in 1-year survival of 0.97 and 0.79.”