Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Martin Aringer, Technical University of Dresden,
- Second opponent: Professor Anders Bengtsson, Lund University,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor II Marte Lie Høivik, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor II Ida Kristin Bos-Haugen, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Senior researcher Karoline Lerang, Oslo University Hospital
Summary
This thesis by Hilde Haukeland presents new epidemiological insights into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by analyzing incidence rates, long-term trends, and cancer risk. In addition, it validates the sensitivity of the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria. All findings are based on a large, chart-validated, population-based SLE cohort from Southeast Norway, followed over nearly two decades.
A reduction in SLE incidence was observed, with a marked decline among women 50-59 years at 47%. In the same period, prescriptions for menopausal hormone therapy and smoking rates fell substantially. As both are potential SLE risk factors, further research is warranted to clarify any direct causal link.
SLE was associated with only a slightly increased overall cancer risk compared with the general population. The cancer pattern still differed, with a particularly elevated risk of lymphoma starting before SLE diagnosis, without apparent accumulation around the time of diagnosis.
Finally, over 90% of the incident SLE patients fulfilled the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria at time of diagnosis.
Additional information
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