Reduced Psychosocial Reserve Linked to Increased SLE Disease Burden

HealthDay News — For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), measures may be associated with depression and anxiety, according to a study in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

Geraldine Zamora-Racaza, MD, from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined the correlation between reserve capacity measures and anxiety/depression among 235 patients with SLE from Southern California (SoCal) and Manila in the Philippines. Participants completed self-reported scales to assess anxiety/depression and psychosocial reserve capacity measures.

The researchers found that participants from Manila reported lower socioeconomic status than participants from SoCal. High anxiety scores were reported by 69% and 59.1% of participants from Manila and SoCal, respectively. Higher depression scores were seen for SoCal participants (66% vs 27%; P<.001), despite exhibiting higher scores for all reserve capacity measures (P<.001).

Higher anxiety and depression scores were reported for participants from both groups with low self-esteem scores. Participants from SoCal who reported lower optimism, lower personal mastery, and lower social support were more anxious and depressed, while less depressive symptoms were reported for Manila participants with lower scores on these three variables.

“Reduced psychosocial reserve capacity in individuals leads to vulnerabilities that may ultimately result in greater disease burden and psychological distress,” the researchers write.

Reference

Zamora-Racaza G, Azizoddin DR, Ishimori ML, et al. Role of psychosocial reserve capacity in anxiety and depression in patients with systematic lupus erythematosus [published online March 6, 2017]. Int J Rheum Dis . doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.13033