The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Pragmatic Language Dysfunction in SLE

Pragmatic Language Dysfunction in SLE

January 20, 2020 • By Lara C. Pullen, PhD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Pragmatic language refers to the social language skills necessary for daily interactions. It includes what is said, how it is said, non-verbal communication and the use of interactions that are appropriate in a given situation. Very few researchers have investigated whether deficits in pragmatic language or other language deficits are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or other systemic autoimmune diseases.

You Might Also Like
  • Insight into Endothelial Dysfunction in Early SLE Patients without Cardiovascular Disease
  • Lupus & Cognitive Dysfunction: No Apparent Link to Inflammation
  • Pinpoint Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Lupus
Also By This Author
  • New Evidence MRI Can Be Used to Monitor Neuromuscular Disease Progression

A recent study reports that approximately half of patients with SLE have pragmatic language dysfunction. Fulvia Ceccarelli, MD, PhD, assistant professor of rheumatology at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and colleagues found that SLE patients were significantly more likely to have a dysfunction of pragmatic language than they were to have memory, attention and executive and visuospatial function deficits. They published their results online Nov. 4, 2019, in PLoS One.1 This study is the first to evaluate pragmatic language in SLE patients, and its findings suggest pragmatic language dysfunction may be the result of a specific, and previously unidentified, pathogenic mechanism.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The study cohort had 40 SLE patients with low disease activity and damage scores, only 30% of whom were on glucocorticoids. The mean age was 45.9 ± 10.1 years, and the mean disease duration was 120.8 ± 81.2 months. The investigators compared these individuals with SLE with 30 healthy subjects who had a mean age of 41.3 ± 13 years. The entire cohort had a general cognitive status in the range of normality, with a Mini Mental State Examination score equal to 29.3 ± 1.2.

The SLE patients had a mean SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score of 1.3 ± 2.3 and a mean Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/ACR (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index score of 0.2 ± 0.5. Several of the patients had concomitant autoimmune diseases: six had antiphospholipid syndrome and three had Sjögren’s syndrome. Several of the patients had cardiovascular risk factors and/or thyroid disease.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Not only did many SLE patients have pragmatic dysfunction, but in some cases that dysfunction was severe and affected multiple domains. The investigators tested several aspects of pragmatic language impairment and found humor, figurative metaphors and inferences were the most frequently compromised skills, at 52.5%, 50% and 40% respectively. The investigators also found a mild impairment of global cognitive function (Global Cognitive Dysfunction score of 2–3) in 25% of SLE patients and a moderate impairment (Global Cognitive Disfunction score of 4–5) in 7.5% of SLE patients. None of the patients had severe cognitive impairment.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, SLE (Lupus) Tagged With: language dysfunction, pragmatic language, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

You Might Also Like:
  • Insight into Endothelial Dysfunction in Early SLE Patients without Cardiovascular Disease
  • Lupus & Cognitive Dysfunction: No Apparent Link to Inflammation
  • Pinpoint Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Lupus
  • Physical & Cognitive Function in SLE Patients

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.