(C-033) Prevalence and Incidence of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease encompassing a broad spectrum of subtypes, including acute, subacute, chronic, and intermittent CLE. There are limited studies on CLE epidemiology.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic literature review of population-based studies to explore the prevalence and incidence of cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Methods: Three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) were screened from inception to January 1, 2025, using the search terms “cutaneous lupus erythematosus” or its subtypes, such as “discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE)” or “subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus” and “prevalence” or “incidence”. Abstracts were assessed independently to identify applicable articles for full-text review and data extraction. The search was filtered to only include human participants and publications in Chinese or English. Only original, population-level studies reporting the incidence or prevalence of CLE were included.

Results: Of the 1268 studies assessed, 12 were included in the analysis (North America = 5, Europe = 2, South America = 2, Africa = 1, Asia = 1, and Oceania = 1). Among them, eight were subnational studies, while four were national-level studies, with most data derived from medical records, registry data, and health insurance records. The reported mean age of CLE onset ranged from 40.0 to 54.0 years. The incidence rates of CLE varied from 2.7 per 100,000 in Denmark to 4.3 per 100,000 in the United States, while prevalence ranged from 30.1 per 100,000 in New Zealand to 108.9 per 100,000 in the United States. In addition, sex-specific incidence rates were two to four times higher in females than in males. Regarding the CLE subtype, subacute CLE had a lower incidence rate (0.6 to 1.0 per 100,000) compared to chronic CLE (2.6 to 3.9 per 100,000), with reported DLE incidence ranging from 0.8 to 2.6 per 100,000. Only one study from the United States reported on less common CLE subtypes, including tumid lupus (0.6 per 100,000) and chilblain lupus (0.1 per 100,000).

Conclusions: CLE is a group of complex and heterogeneous diseases with a female predominance. The incidence and prevalence of CLE and its subtypes vary by age and ethnicity. Future studies are warranted to better understand the epidemiology of CLE across different populations.