Awareness of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus among General Population in Abha, KSA

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)), or lupus, is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system attacks various organs or cells of the body, causing damage and dysfunction. It is one of the worldwide autoimmune disorder that has a significant mortality and morbidity. Objective: The current study aims to assess knowledge regarding SLE among the general population in Abha city, Aseer region, KSA. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study was used. Sample: A total of 405 individuals were selected using a simple sampling technique. Selected participant was interviewed using a questionnaire which consisted of many parts dealing with all aspects of SLE (risk factors, diagnosis, management, and prognosis). Data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS. Relevant statistical tests were used according and considered significant if values were less than 5% Results: A total of 405 individuals were involved in this study. Age ranged between 18-55 years, 58% were females. More than one third ( 39.3%) had good knowledge of SLE particularly general and treatment aspects (54%,42%) respectively. The higher knowledge level about SLE was Found among younger participants (below 35 years) than among older (46.9% vs. 30.3%) with statistical significance (P<0.05) which is clearly showed in our results Conclusion and recommendations: This study revealed that the knowledge about SLE among participants was inadequate particularly among less educated, there are so many misconceptions about essential information of these serious diseases which need public health education using different methods including new social media. The comprehensive national study is suggested to explore the knowledge about SLE