The impact of disease activity on health-related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background and objective: The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) considering the increased interest in the management of this disease. Materials and methods: HRQoL was measured at clinic visits during a 12-month follow-up period using questionnaires on fatigue (FACIT-FATIGUE); quality of life, EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D-5L) health questionnaire with 5 levels; disability, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and a Global Health Status (GHS) scale. Disease activity, organ damage and other clinical factors that could affect HRQoL were recorded. The association between disease activity and HRQoL was assessed using Bayesian linear regression models with monotonic effects. Results: Data from 70 patients at the baseline visit and 42 patients with 1 year of follow-up were ana-lyzed. At baseline, 28.57% of patients presented Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) > 6. In the 70 baseline patients, disease activity was associated with HRQoL in all four param-eters. In the 42 patients with 12 months of follow-up, the positive association of disease activity with GHS, FACIT-FATIGUE and EQ-5D-5L and the negative association with HAQ was maintained. Patients who are smokers and those receiving immunosuppressant therapy presented low GHS and FACIT-FATIGUE scores. Moreover, older age at inclusion was significantly associated to low GHS, while low leucocyte and 25-OH-vitamin D levels were associated to fatigue perception in SLE patients. Conclusion: Our results showed a statistically significant association between disease activity and HRQoL parameters.(c) 2023 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). HRQoL was measured using questionnaires on fatigue, quality of life, disability, and a global health status scale. The results showed a statistically significant association between disease activity and HRQoL parameters.