Abstract
Objectives: Our study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Taif, Saudia Arabia among the Taif city population. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was started in July 2021 in Taif city on a representative sample of 450 participants. The data collection tool was an online questionnaire, which consisted of sociodemographic data and questions regarding knowledge and awareness of systemic lupus. Results: We were able to collect data from 450 participants in response to our questionnaire. Regarding knowledge about SLE, 81.1% of the participants reported that they had heard about SLE mainly from a friend or their colleagues and the Internet. Furthermore, we found that skin was the main organ known by participants to be affected by SLE (43.1%) followed by joints (29.3%), and 52.9 % of participants could identify rash as a symptom of SLE, followed by joint pain (37.3%) and alopecia (17.6%). In general, 5.6% of the participants were able to answer more than 60% of questions correctly, and those of a young age, who were male, and who were more educated had previous knowledge about SLE or diagnoses of SLE and thus showed a higher level of awareness. Conclusion: This study revealed that knowledge about SLE among participants was insufficient, especially among the less educated, and there are many misconceptions about basic information regarding this serious disease, which requires public health education.