Background and aims To describe reasons and outcomes of hospitalisation among Filipino patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods Retrospective hospital chart review of Filipino SLE patients confined at University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital in Manila, Philippines from January 2011 to December 2015. Excluded were admissions for routine infusions. Final diagnoses were categorised as SLE-related or non-SLE related. Effect on SLE-relatedness of disease duration, age at SLE diagnosis and length of hospitalisation were analysed using Chi-square and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Results There were 430 patients (95.58% female, 78% adults>18 years old) with 596 hospitalizations, Median number of hospitalisation per year per patient was one (range 1–3). Average age at hospitalisation was 28.98+12.95 SD years (range 5–71), average disease duration 6.51+6.30 SD years (range <1–16). Mean length of hospitalisation was 4.22+4.61 SD days (range 1–38). 479 (80%) hospitalizations for SLE-related reasons included lupus flare (357), lupus flare with concomitant infection (68), kidney biopsy (28) and renal failure requiring dialysis (26). Of 117 non-SLE related hospitalizations, infection with inactive SLE was recorded in 40 (29%). Among 16 deaths, 9 were infection-related and 7 were SLE-related. There was no significant association of age at SLE diagnosis, disease duration nor length of hospitalisation with SLE-relatedness.

Conclusions In this cohort of Filipino SLE patients, majority of hospitalizations were due to active SLE and/or infection, with infection having high risk for poorer outcomes. These findings strongly reinforce need to effectively control disease while minimising infection risk usually due to immunosuppressives.