Relatives’ quality of life and psychological disturbance: a new concern of SLE management

It is known that the quality of life (QOL) and psychological status of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are severely impaired. However, a few reports have assessed the QOL and psychological status in relatives of these patients. This study aimed to assess the QOL and psychological status in relatives of patients with SLE and their impact on patients. A total of 104 patient–relative dyads were evaluated using a 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Relatives of patients with SLE exhibited an impaired QOL compared with the general population (69.59 ± 22.78 vs 78.18 ± 15.88, P < 0.001) and suffered from depression (5.8 ± 5.4) and anxiety (5.8 ± 6.0). GAD-7 of relatives was positively correlated with GAD-7 of patients (r = 0.210, P < 0.05). Patients reported a lower global SF-36 score when their relatives had lower global SF-36 scores (50.13 ± 19.18 vs 58.44 ± 19.67, P < 0.05) and significantly higher SSRS when their relatives had lower PHQ-9 (41.9 ± 8.7 vs 36.3 ± 6.2, P < 0.01) or GAD-7 scores (42.8 ± 7.4 vs 36.7 ± 6.6, P < 0.01). The QOL and psychological status in relatives of patients with SLE were adversely impaired. Associations exist between the QOL and psychological status of relatives and patients with SLE. Therefore, both patients and their relatives should be taken into account when making management decisions.