Influence of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus on quality of life of female patients

Abstract Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are chronic autoimmune diseases affecting quality of life. Patients and methods Two hundred patients diagnosed with RA and SLE were enrolled in this study. Four questionnaires (SF36, The Hamilton anxiety scale, The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, The Female Sexual Function Index) were administered. Results In this cross-sectional study, all domains of SF36 had significant negative correlations with DAS 28. Patients with no flare and those with mild to moderate SLEDAI had significantly higher SF36 domains as compared to patients with severe SLEDAI (P  Conclusion This study confirms that RA and SLE impair all aspects of quality of life. In RA patients disease activity negatively correlates with quality of life and sexual function, while there is a positive correlation with depression and anxiety. In SLE patients disease activity negatively correlates with quality of life and sexual dysfunction.