Fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: data from the RELESSAR-prospective registry

Autores: Malena Viola, María Celina de la Vega, Darío Mata, Martín Riopedre, Gimena Gómez, Carla Gobbi, Marina Micelli, Paula Alba, Alejandro Brigante, Agustina Damico, Romina Rojas Tessel, Mercedes García, Gelsomina Alle, Lucía Mendoza Martínez, Florencia Gordillo, Claudia Pena, Verónica Bellomio, Paula Corbalan, Maitén Sarde, Gisela Pendon, Carolina Aeschlimann, Paula Fernández, Manuel Rodríguez Gramazza, Bettina Sardi, Micaela Cosatti, Cecilia Pisoni, Joan Dapeña, Lucila García

HTML PDF

Introduction: fatigue is a frequent and poorly understood manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), present in up to 86% of patients and negatively impacting quality of life. Its systematic assessment remains an unmet need in clinical practice.

Objectives: To evaluate the degree of fatigue in patients with SLE using a visual analog scale (VAS) and to analyze its association with sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Materials and methods: cross-sectional study based on the baseline visit of the RELESSAR-prospective registry of the Argentine Society of Rheumatology. Patients aged ≥18 years with an SLE diagnosis of ≤5 years were included. Significant fatigue was defined as VAS ≥4. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify associated factors.

Results: a total of 198 patients were included; 53% presented fatigue ≥4. In multivariate analysis, fatigue was associated with disease activity (SLEDAI-2K) (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.10–1.28; p<0.001) and time since diagnosis (OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.35–3.40; p=0.002). Higher fatigue was also related to more frequent hospitalizations and worse global assessment.

Conclusions: fatigue is prevalent among patients with SLE and is associated with higher disease activity, underscoring the need for its systematic evaluation in clinical practice.