Patterns and Predictors of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases in Sana’a City: A Retrospective Study

Alqahtani, Talal Yahya; Al-Hakimi, Mohamed Siaf; Hudna, Ahmed Saleh

doi:10.21608/zumj.2025.380283.3932

Patterns and Predictors of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases in Sana’a City: A Retrospective Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Microbiology University of Sciences and Technology

² Department of Biochemistry University of Sciences and Technology

³ Pediatric department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

10.21608/zumj.2025.380283.3932

Abstract

Background: Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) involve immune attacks on self-antigens, causing tissue and organ damage. Data on the prevalence and predictors of systemic autoimmune diseases in Yemen are limited. Objective: This study aimed to assess the patterns and predictors of systemic autoimmune diseases among patients in Sana’a, Yemen. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with AIDs between 2020 and 2022 at four major referral hospitals in Sana’a. standardized tool was utilized to collect data on demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, and diagnosis were extracted from medical records. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of systemic autoimmune diseases.

Results: A total of 1061 patients ' record were analyzed, with a mean age of 37.23 ± 12.81 years, and 63.2% were female. The most common diagnosis was autoimmune hepatitis (44.4%) followed by hypothyroidism (21.8%), and inflammatory bowel disease (16.6%). Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most frequent clinical presentations (35.3%), followed by systemic (17.8%) and hepatic/biliary symptoms (12.5%). Female gender (AOR = 2.80, p < 0.001) and a higher hemoglobin-to-platelet (HB/PLT) ratio (AOR = 2.58, p < 0.001) were identified as significant independent predictors of systemic autoimmune diseases.

Conclusions: The most prevalent autoimmune diseases (AIDs) among Yemeni patients are autoimmune hepatitis, hypothyroidism, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Systemic autoimmune disorders are significantly associated with high HB/PLT ratio and female gender. Further research is needed to validate these biomarkers across diverse populations.

Keywords