OBJECTIVES: The purpose was to assess current data available to address the main gaps concerning SLE in Latin-America (LATAM), such as clinical and economic burden of the disease.

METHODS: A structured literature review for SLE in LATAM was performed, considering systematic literature reviews, metanalyses, observational studies, real world evidence (RWE) in English, Portuguese and Spanish. EMBASE, MEDLINE, LILACS, Value in health, ACR, EULAR, PANLAR, LACA and International Congress on SLE, were sources included. A qualitative synthesis was done for Health Resource Utilization (HRU) studies.

RESULTS: Of 2,067 titles retrieved, 413 were found in LILACS, 216 in MEDLINE, 100 in EMBASE, 43 in Value in Health and 1295 remaining unpublished. Analysis was based on 217 titles. One publication about HRU was found. This study assessed direct costs of lupus care in Colombia, using 2 years claims data from two health insurers. Average annual per-patient, all-claims, all-cause direct cost was $2355, approximately 9 times the average. Direct costs incurred by patients with two comorbidities was 1.8 times higher. GLADEL cohort included 20 manuscripts and 19 abstracts, economic status and level of education favoring white patients. Organ damage was associated with medium socioeconomic status in comparison with higher socioeconomic status. Patients who died had lower education level, lower socioeconomic status, poorer medical coverage and higher mean inflammatory activity (SLEDAI and SLICC/ACR scores).

CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient discussion of the economic burden of SLE in LATAM was found in the literature. Latin-american patients had severe SLE, organ damage and renal involvement, requiring more HRU. Direct cost of lupus care in LATAM might be higher than expected; in addition, access to healthcare may be uneven. Given the impact of SLE, it is imperative to describe the economic burden to facilitate decision making and healthcare policies.