The nature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the applied treatment are associated with number of risk factors of osteoporosis. Hitherto published work provides some inconsistent results as regards the influence of the disease on values of bone mineral density (BMD), as compared with the healthy population, and the evaluation of the severity of different risk factors. The submitted work compared the BMD of SLE patients with the BMD of healthy controls and evaluated the influence of a priori defined variables on BMD values of patients suffering from SLE. The authors examined 61 patients (52 women with regular menstruation, 9 men) who met the criteria of SLE according to ACR. SLE proved to be a significant risk factor of reduced BMD, practically at all assessed sites, in men and women. Different risk factors were analyzed in the subgroup of women with SLE. The universal risk factor for a decline of BMD was the cumulative dose of corticosteroids which exerted the most potent effect on the total-body mineral content. In the lumbar spine moreover a negative role was played by arthritis, in the cortical bone of the proximal femur the duration of the disease played also a highly significant role. The results of biochemical examinations as potential predictors of a decline of BMD revealed only partial correlations of limited clinical importance. SLE is a serious multisystemic disease which leads to reduced BMD.

        Key words: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis, risk factors of osteoporosis