{
  "abstract": "Objectives To evaluate disease activity using SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS and assess associations with fatigue and quality of life (QoL) measured by Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale (FACIT-F), Short Form – 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL). Secondary objectives were to explore the impact of clinical manifestations, laboratory markers and treatment on QoL outcomes.Methods We performed a prospective cross-sectional assessment of 50 patients with SLE during a routine outpatient/inpatient visit. Disease activity was assessed using SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS, with patients categorized into four activity levels: remission, mild, moderate and severe activity. PROs were collected using FACIT-F, SF-36 (domain scores and physical and mental component summaries), and LupusQoL (eight domains). Associations were evaluated using Spearman correlations and comparisons across activity categories using Kruskal–Wallis. Multivariable linear regression assessed independent predictors of PROs. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to evaluate the independent contribution of disease activity (SLEDAI-2K), age, and disease duration to FACIT-F and to each SF-36 and LupusQoL domain. The relationship between quality-of-life scores and clinical manifestations (cutaneous, articular, neurological, immunological, hematological, and renal involvement) as well as treatment exposure (corticosteroids, immunomodulators, immunosuppressants, biologic therapy) was assessed using t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests, as appropriate.Results Higher disease activity was consistently associated with greater fatigue and poorer QoL, with the strongest effects observed for SLEDAI-2K. Disease activity independently predicted worse fatigue and multiple QoL domains, including physical health, pain, vitality, mental health, and social functioning. Specific organ involvement (articular, neurological, renal, and hematological) further contributed to domain-specific QoL impairment. Among laboratory markers, hemoglobin and C-reactive protein correlated with fatigue and QoL, suggesting an inflammatory burden beyond serological activity. Treatment type showed limited impact on fatigue, while higher treatment burden and glucocorticoid exposure were associated with worse QoL, likely reflecting confounding by disease severity.Conclusions Clinico-biological disease activity is a key determinant of fatigue and impaired QoL in patients with SLE. Higher activity is consistently associated with worse PROs, particularly across physical, psychosocial, and vitality-related domains. These findings support integrating standardized PRO-based QoL assessment into routine disease activity monitoring to guide patient-centered management.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sfanta Maria Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Andreea Alexandr Preda"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sfanta Maria Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Maria Donisan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sfanta Maria Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Denisa Predeteanu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sfanta Maria Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania",
        "Carol Davila Univeristy of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania"
      ],
      "name": "Andra Balanescu"
    }
  ],
  "title": "LBA:01:46 Disease activity is associated with worse fatigue and quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus",
  "uid": "0288c193-1211-5377-984e-d0dae3e0703a"
}