Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared to the Healthy Population in Shiraz, Iran

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic and complex autoimmune diseases, involving multiple organs. Therefore, quality of life (QoL) in SLE and RA patients can be affected. The current study aimed to compare SLE and RA patients with the healthy population in terms of health-related QoL (HRQoL) in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: The present cross sectional, analytical study was performed on 100 SLE patients, 100 RA patients, and 200 healthy controls, who were referred to the rheumatology clinics (Motahari and Hafez clinics) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Demographic data including age, gender, educational level, and disease duration were evaluated. The Persian-translated version of 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) was used as a tool for evaluating HRQoL. For statistical analysis, Pearson’s correlation test, t-test, and ANOVA were performed, using SPSS. Results: Comparison of SLE and RA patients with healthy controls showed that the control group obtained higher scores in 8 subscales of SF-36 questionnaire. Based on the findings, RA patients had the lowest scores between the groups. Age and disease duration had a significant negative linear correlation with HRQoL, while educational level had a significant positive linear correlation with HRQoL. Nevertheless, there was no significant correlation between gender and HRQoL. Conclusions: HRQoL was lower in RA patients in comparison with the SLE group. In fact, RA patients, who suffered from body pain and disability, obtained lower scores in both physical and mental domains. Therefore, promoting the patients’ health literacy, as an empowerment strategy, plays a key role in improving HRQoL.