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Introduction: Immunosuppressive drug use is common in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In cases receiving immunosuppressive therapy, screening for hepatitis B reactivation risk is also recommended. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B screening in cases diagnosed as having SLE, who were followed up in the Rheumatology Clinic of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University. Materials and Methods: We included 93 patients who were followed-up in the Rheumatology Clinic of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University with the diagnosis of SLE between July 2017-December 2019 in our study. The screening rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), and hepatitis B core protein antibody (anti-HBc IgG) of the cases and the immunosuppressive drugs used by them were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The mean age of the cases was 38 years (minimum-maximum: 18-79), and 91.4% were women. Of the cases, 43 (46.2%) were determined to be never screened for hepatitis B, 34 (36.6%) screened inadequately, and only 16 (17.2%) screened fully. In 22 cases receiving high-risk immunosuppressive therapy, the rate of full screening of hepatitis B was 27.3%. Conclusion: In patients with SLE, even those who used high-risk immunosuppressive therapy, screening rates were found low. We think that awareness should be increased in this regard by performing joint training with clinics that start immunosuppressive therapy, a periodic repetition of these trainings should be done, and also multi-center studies should be conducted. |
