FUNCTIONS, SLEEP, FATIGUE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SCLERODERMA DURING COVID-19: CROSS - SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19, which has affected people in various ways, has also shown to cause various limitations on the lives of Scleroderma patients. The current study aims at evaluating the upper extremity functions, sleep quality, fatigue, and health-related quality of life in Scleroderma patients and to determine the factors affecting upper extremity functions. Methods: A total of 83 participants were recruited in this study. Of the participants, 39 were Scleroderma patients (mean age 43.28±9.96 years) and 44 were healthy controls (mean age 40.05±8.89 years). The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) and Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) were applied to evaluate upper extremity functions of the participants. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) were used to evaluate the sleep quality, fatigue, and healthrelated quality of life, respectively. Results: Scleroderma patients had significantly lower scores in hand functions, sleep quality, fatigue, and health-related quality than the healthy group (p=0.001). The correlations between DASH and PSQI (r=0.559, p=0.001), FSS (r=0.496, p=0.001), SHAQ scores (r=0.754, p=0.001) were highly positive. Similarly, a high correlation was found between MHQ and SHAQ scores (r=-0.679, p=0.001). Conclusion: Upper extremity functions and health-related quality of life were found to be affected in patients with Scleroderma. It was revealed that upper extremity functions were affected by sleep quality, fatigue, and health-related quality of life. Therefore, knowing all these effects and their relationships with each other allows to draw a systematic treatment plan on Scleroderma patients.