title: Stress as a trigger of disease flares in SLE.
abstract: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were asked to report their perceptions as to whether stress can trigger disease flares. A total of 54 patients treated at two District General Hospitals in Essex were included in the analysis. They were 4 males and 50 females and were 20 Caucasians, 22 Asians, and 12 Africans/Afro-Caribbean. Thirty-three of 54 patients (61.1%) reported stress to be a trigger for disease flares. Although most (85%) of the Caucasian patients reported that stress triggered their disease flares, only 50% of the African/Afro-Caribbean patients and 45.4% of the Asian patients reported stress as a trigger for disease flares. No correlation was found between reported number of flares per year and characteristics such as age (P = 0.4), age at diagnosis (P = 0.8), age at disease onset (P = 0.6), or disease duration (P = 0.2). A trend towards a significant correlation was observed between the number of reported flares per year and the number of children a patient has (P = 0.07).
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, King George Hospital, Barley Lanes, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex, IG3 8YB, UK. thaliaroussou@hotmail.com
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roussou
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iacovou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weerakoon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology