Quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus and its measurement

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is multi-system autoimmune rheumatic disorder with very broad clinical picture. Due to its generalized nature it influences all aspects of patient’s life: physical, psychological and social well-being. With the development in diagnosis and treatment of SLE, median survival increased significantly over the past years. This article focused on the elements of quality of life, which are especially important for SLE patients, like body image, fatigue, family relations, disease impact on professional and social life. The quality of life could be measured with two different instruments: generic and disease-specific questionnaires. Generic ones are used to assess the quality of life of patients comparing to general population whereas specific questionnaires are designed to measure outcomes in one specific disease. The aim of the article is to describe HRQoL in SLE patients and the variables important for patients which have impact on it.