Health-related quality of life and disease severity of SLE patients in Phramongkutklao Hospital.

Background: The studies of association of disease activity and damage with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in lupus have shown equivocal results and has not been studied in Thailand.

Objective: To examine the HRQOL and to examine the association between HRQOL and SLE disease severity (disease activity and damage) in Thai SLE patients.

Methods: The Short Form-36 (SF-36) was applied in 95 consecutive SLE patients. At the time of HRQOL assessment, all patients were evaluated for disease severity [disease activity as measured by Mexican Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (Mex-SLEDAI) and damage as measured by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinic/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index (SDI)]. The association between physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the SF-36 and disease severity were examined by Pearson's correlation.

Results: Ninety-five SLE patients (93 females and 2 males) were included (mean age 39.84 +/- 10.91). The mean disease duration was 115 +/- 83 months. The mean scores of MCS and PCS were 45.5 +/- 9.5 and 41.1 +/- 9.3, respectively. The higher SDI scores were correlated with lower PCS but not the MCS (PCS, r = -0.411, p < 0.001). There was no correlation between HRQOL (both MCS and PCS) and disease activity.

Conclusions: PCS of the SF-36 was inversely correlated with damage index in Thai SLE patients.