LupusQoL-US benchmarks for US patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
The LupusQoL-US instrument was recently validated in the US. We studied the benchmarks for a US patient cohort with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and relevant demographic and disease correlates.


METHODS
LupusQoL-US was administered to 185 patients with SLE. Demographic data (age, sex, ethnicity, marital status) and disease features (duration, disease activity and damage) were assessed simultaneously. Descriptive statistics were obtained. LupusQoL-US domain scores were calculated, and compared by sex, ethnicity, and marital status using nonparametric tests. Correlation between LupusQoL-US domains and age, disease duration, disease activity, and disease damage were obtained.


RESULTS
Mean age of patients was 42.2 +/- 14.5 years; 94% of subjects were women. African American patients comprised 60% of the study cohort. The most affected domains were Fatigue and Physical Health. The least affected was Intimate Relationships. Age correlated with Physical Health, Pain, and Body Image (r = 0.15-0.18). Differences were observed based on sex and marital status, but not by ethnicity; there the LupusQoL-US correlated inversely with disease activity (r = -0.001 to -0.36) and damage (r = -0.003 to -0.40).


CONCLUSIONS
All domains of the LupusQoL-US based health related quality of life (HRQOL) were affected adversely. HRQOL varied by age, sex, and marital status in our SLE cohort.
Jolly
Meenakshi
M
Department of Medicine and Behavioral Medicine, Rush University, 1611 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Meenakshi_Jolly@rush.edu
Pickard
Simon A
SA
Mikolaitis
Rachel A
RA
Rodby
Roger A
RA
Sequeira
Winston
W
Block
Joel A
JA
D000328:Adult; D019985:Benchmarking; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States