Background/Purpose: Depression is more common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than in the general population. However, few studies have investigated predictors of depression in SLE patients and those studies have shown inconsistent results. This study evaluated the prevalence of, and risk factors for, depression in ethnically homogeneous Korean SLE patients.

Methods: In this study, 505 consecutive SLE patients were enrolled from KORNET registry. Demographic variables, SLE manifestations, laboratory findings, PGA, SLEDAI-2000, and SLICC damage index were recorded at enrollment. Based on the previous study, SLE Patients were identified as having depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) ≥ 16, and we categorized the SLE patients, according to the BDI total score, into four groups: Group I (BDI 0–9), Group II (BDI 10–15), Group III (BDI 16–23) and Group IV (BDI 24–63). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for depression in SLE patients.

Results: Of the 505 patients, SLE patients were categorized as follows: Group I (n = 320), Group II (n = 88), Group III (n = 65), and Group IV (n = 32). In our cohort, total 97 (19.2%) patients were diagnosed as having depression (Group III and Group IV). The SLE patients with higher BDI score were older, and had higher proportions of current smokers and SLICC score >1, and on the other hands, lower levels of income and education. In the serologic findings, patients with higher BDI score had lower anti-dsDNA positivity and conversely higher aCL positivity. In the multivariate analysis, the following variables were remained as significant predictors of depression in SLE patients: current smokers, lower education and income levels, aCL positivity, and SLICC score >1.

Conclusion: Our results found that depression was prevalent in patients with SLE and multifactorial factors were associated with depression in SLE. Our study helps to guide target programs for those at high risk for depression in SLE.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-and-predictors-of-depression-in-patients-with-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-results-from-the-korean-lupus-network-kornet-registry/