Abstract: The sensitivity of the 1971 preliminary criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was 90% according to Cohen et al (1), who assembled those criteria. This high degree of sensitivity was not found by other investigators (2-6). The1982 revised criteria proposed by Tan et al (7) showed a 96% sensitivity among their patients. In a recent work, Levin et al (8) compared the 1971 and the 1982 American Rheumatism ...