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TOPLINE:

Survey results indicated that cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) significantly affects quality of life (QOL) independently and additively in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with increased reports of mental health strain and social limitations.

METHODOLOGY:

• To address the gap in what is known about the impact of CLE on QOL, this cross-sectional study analyzed data on 5222 patients (94% women) from the World Lupus Federation Global Impact survey between 2022 and 2023. A total of 56% of patients had both CLE and SLE, 40% had SLE only, and 4% had CLE only.
• Researchers calculated a composite score from patient responses across seven QOL domains, which included short-term disability, long-term disability, ability to work, financial insecurity, mental health, social engagement, and transportation.
• They compared QOL effects and therapeutic beliefs across different lupus phenotypes including CLE, SLE and CLE, and SLE.

TAKEAWAY:

• Impact on QOL was observed across all domains; most affected were the inability to participate in social activities (60%), mental health concerns (38%), and financial insecurity (34%). Overall, the average number of affected QOL domains was 1.8 for CLE only, 2.9 for both CLE and SLE, and 2.4 for SLE only (P < .001).
• Patients with both CLE and SLE had a 20%-80% higher likelihood of experiencing an impact on QOL across all domains, except short-term disability, than those with SLE alone. The greatest increases were reported in the mental health (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; P < .001) and social participation (OR, 1.8; P < .001) domains.
• Patients with CLE alone reported lower rates of QOL burden than those with SLE alone across most domains, except for mental health and social engagement.
• Patients with CLE showed increased therapeutic hesitancy and were less likely to believe in the efficacy of biologics than those with SLE or both.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our findings highlight an urgent need to recognize CLE’s distinct challenges,” the authors wrote. “Addressing these gaps through the development of CLE-specific therapies, increased awareness, and improved patient education is essential to improving QOL and clinical outcomes,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Arianna J. Zhang, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. It was published online on April 7 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

LIMITATIONS:

Study limitations included potential response bias, self-reported data, and sample bias toward patients with SLE. Most patients were from the Americas and Europe, affecting generalizability.

DISCLOSURES:

The survey was funded by the Lupus Foundation of America. All authors declared no financial support from any organization for this submitted work. One author declared serving on the medical and scientific board of the Lupus Foundation of America and reported receiving consulting fees from multiple pharmaceutical companies. The other authors declared no relevant competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.