AB0505\u2005AGE AT DIAGNOSIS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FATIGUE IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS

Abstract

Background: Fatigue can be defined as feeling tired and exhausted and lacking energy (1). It is associated with a poor quality of life; 53 to 80% of SLE patients identify fatigue as their main symptom (2) Objectives: To define factors associated with fatigue in Mestizo patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of SLE patients from a single center cohort. Visits were performed every six months. For these analyses, the first visit between October 2017 and December 2018 was included. Demographic and clinical characteristics as well as treatment were recorded at every visit. Socioeconomic status (SES) was defined using the Graffar’s method (ref). Fatigue was ascertained with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-FT), Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) with the LupusQoL, disease activity with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index –2K (SLEDAI-2K), and damage with the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) damage index (SDI). Prednisone use was recorded as current daily dose. Immunosuppressive drugs and antimalarial use was recorded as current, past or never. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed using linear regression models. For the multivariable analyses, model selection was based on backward elimination. Results: Two hundred and twenty-six patients were evaluated. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 35.6 (13.1) years, 211 (93.4%) were female; and disease duration was 11.0 (7.3) years. The mean SLEDAI and SDI were 2.4 (3.5) and 1.3 (1.5), respectively. The mean FACIT-Fatigue was 33.1 (10.8). In the univariable analyses, FACIT-Fatigue correlated with age at diagnosis, SES, disease duration and all the HRQoL domains like physical health, pain, planning, intimate relationships, burden to others, emotional health, body image and fatigue. On the multivariable analysis, however, only age at diagnosis; and some domains of HRQoL (physical health, emotional health and fatigue) remained associated. Theses analyses are depicted in table 1. Conclusion: Age at diagnosis is negatively associated with fatigue; HRQoL domains like physical health, emotional health and fatigue are positively associated with fatigue. References [1] Omdal R, et al. Fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: lack of associations to serum cytokines, antiphospholipid antibodies, or other disease characteristics. J Rheumatol. 2002;29(3):482-6. [2] Ahn GE, Ramsey-Goldman R. Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus. Int J Clin Rheumatol. 2012;7(2):217-27. Disclosure of Interests: None declared