Leucocyte Count Patterns in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, South West Nigeria

This study evaluates leucocyte count patterns in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) attending the rheumatology clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos State, South West Nigeria. SLE is a multisystem autoimmune disorder with characteristic haematological manifestations including cytopenias mediated by autoantibody production and immune complex deposition. A cross-sectional study enrolled 90 SLE patients with confirmed diagnosis based on the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria and 45 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Full blood count, anti-double-stranded DNA antibody titres, and complement C3 and C4 levels were obtained. Leucocyte counts were compared between active and inactive disease states using the SLEDAI score. Results demonstrated leucopenia in 53.3 percent of SLE patients, predominantly lymphopenia in 61.1 percent and neutropenia in 28.9 percent. Active disease was associated with significantly greater lymphopenia and higher autoantibody titres. Platelet count was below 100 times ten to the ninth per litre in 22.2 percent of patients. Anaemia was present in 67.8 percent of patients. Haematological cytopenia correlated significantly with disease activity scores. The study reinforces the importance of haematological assessment in SLE disease monitoring and recommends structured haematological review at each clinic visit to prevent complications related to severe cytopenias in the Lagos patient population. Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus, leucopenia, lymphopenia, haematological manifestations, Lagos.