Approximately half of the SLE patients self-reported depression, and most (92.5%) self-reported anxiety. However, when the investigators compared patients who had mood disorders or anxiety with and those without those conditions, they saw no significant difference in pragmatic language Domain Cognitive Dysfunction scores or other cognitive impairments.
The investigators identified only two significant associations and correlations: anti-phospholipid antibody positivity was significantly associated with memory impairment, whereas the presence of other neuropsychiatric events was associated with executive dysfunctions. They saw no association with treatments, such as immunosuppressants, glucocorticoid dosage, antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy. They also saw no association with comorbidities, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension or diabetes.
Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.
Reference
- Ceccarelli F, Pirone C, Mina C, et al. Pragmatic language dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: Results from a single center Italian study. PLoS One. 2019 Nov 4;14(11):e0224437. eCollection 2019.
