PharmacyInternal MedicineEnd-of-life CareHealth AssessmentPalliative CareHealth Status MeasurementHealth-related Quality Of LifeHealth-related Quality Of Life MeasurementPatient-reported Outcome MeasuresQuality Of LifeQuality Of Life AssessmentHealth Status IndicesQuality Of Life EndpointsQuality Of Life ImpairmentQuality Of Life PredictionQuality Of Life PrognosisSelf-reported Health StatusSignificance LevelStatistical Testing
OBJECTIVE: To identify social, demographic and clinical characteristics that influence survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Sixty-three patients with a diagnosis of SLE were studied at our medical services in 1999 and then reviewed in 2005. We utilized a protocol to obtain demographic and clinical traits, activity and damage indices, and health-related quality of life via the SF-36. All statistical tests were performed using a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: Out of the 63 patients examined in 1999, six died, four were lost for the follow-up and the previous protocol was applied to the remaining 53 patients. The six patients who died presented the worst recorded health-related quality of life, in all aspects. The most important observed predictor of death was a mean lower score in the Role-Emotional Domain of the mental health component of the SF-36 (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Health-related quality of life may be used as possible predictive factor of mortality among patients with SLE.