Psychological well-being in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate quality of life and psychological symptoms in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and to compare this with patients with rheumatoid arthritis.


METHODS
A standardised questionnaire, the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWB), was used to examine the quality of life and psychological symptoms in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS; n = 34). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 32) were used as patient controls.


RESULTS
The total mean score +/- SD for PGWB was 84.9 +/- 16.2 in pSS patients and significantly lower (p = 0.001) than in RA patients (97.7 +/- 17.5). Patients with pSS had an increased propensity for depressed mood (p = 0.0009), and suffered from reduced well-being (p = 0.002) and impaired vitality (p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that patients with pSS have a reduced quality of life, a higher degree of distress and a lower sense of well-being than patients with RA.
Valtýsdóttir
S T
ST
Department of Medical Sciences-Rheumatology, University Hospital Uppsala, Sweden. sigridur.valtysdottir@medicin.uu.se
Gudbjörnsson
B
B
Hällgren
R
R
Hetta
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents