Objectives: To determine the age- and sex-specific incidence rates of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Finland.
Methods: The incident cases were identified through diagnostic register searches for SLE on the nationwide database of the Social Insurance Institution.
Results: During the 8-year study period 599 incident cases occurred (518 females, 81 males). The mean annual incidence rate of SLE for adults was 1.69 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.56-1.84) and was highest among females aged 40-59 years. The gender incidence rate ratio was 6.43 (95% CI 5.06-8.26). The incidence for children was 0.39 (95% CI 0.27-0.55).
Conclusions: The incidence of SLE was lower compared to the countries at the same latitudes. SLE in children remained a rarity.