Risk of joint replacement surgery in Taiwanese female adults with systemic lupus erythematosus: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are prone to have musculoskeletal system involvement, which could lead to joint damage. However, few studies have assessed the incidence of arthroplasty in female patients with SLE. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of total hip replacement surgery and total knee replacement surgery in patients with SLE. METHODS: We identified 577 female patients with newly diagnosed SLE between 2000 and 2012 using the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. A comparison cohort was constructed with female patients without SLE in a ratio of 5:1, based on frequency matching for 10-year age interval, and index year, for each patient with SLE. Both cohorts were followed until a diagnosis of the study outcomes or the end of the follow-up period. RESULTS: Female patients with SLE showed a significantly higher incidence of receiving total hip replacement surgery (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 6.47; P < 0.001), but not total knee replacement surgery (aIRR 1.81; P = 0.227). Moreover, age-group stratified analyses indicated a high incidence for receiving total hip replacement surgery among young female patients with SLE (aIRR 7.70; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Young female patients with SLE had a high risk of receiving total hip replacement surgery, but not total knee replacement surgery.