title: Health-related quality of life in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. II. Role of clinical, immunological and psychological determinants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of clinical, immunological and psychological variables in influencing the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 was applied in a cohort of 126 SLE patients. At the time of HRQOL testing all patients underwent a clinical and laboratory evaluation, together with the measure of disease activity, severity and damage. In addition, a battery of psychological tests including the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating scale (HAM-D) was applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The parameters which seemed to greatly influence the impairment of HRQOL were older age, arthralgia-arthritis and higher HAS scores as well as HAM-D. In multivariate analysis (adjusted for age), arthralgia-arthritis and a higher HAM-D score were associated with HRQOL impairment. No relationship between HRQOL and SLE activity, severity or damage were found. However, a relationship between HAS or HAM-D scores and damage or arthralgia-arthritis was noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anxiety, depression and joint pain seem to be the major determinants of HRQOL impairment in SLE patients. Damage seems to influence HRQOL mostly through depression.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra e Divisione di Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padua, Italy. adoria@unipd.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doria
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ermani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salaffi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iaccarino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghirardello
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zampieri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Libera
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todesco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers