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Gastrointestinal symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occur at any age and stage of the disease, ranging from mild and intermittent to life-threatening [1, 2]. Gastrointestinal symptoms are not weighed in the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and are often underreported and overlooked [2, 3]. As gastrointestinal-related symptoms and pathologies of SLE garner far less attention than other major organ involvements, there is a paucity in the literature regarding epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of such manifestations. This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with SLE.

In a cross-sectional study, adult SLE patients who were diagnosed based on the American College of Rheumatology (1997) criteria at a referral SLE clinic from March to December 2016 were included. Patients were asked about gastrointestinal symptoms in the last 3 months and …