Dietary micronutrient intake and atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of dietary micronutrient intake in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: This study included 111 SLE patients and 118 age and gender-matched controls. Data on diet (food frequency questionnaires) were linked with data on Systemic Lupus Activity Measure, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and carotid atherosclerotic/echolucent plaque (B-mode ultrasound). Dietary micronutrient intake were compared between SLE patients and controls and in relation to lupus activity and atherosclerosis in SLE. Associations between micronutrient intake and plaque were analyzed through logistic regression, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Micronutrient intake did not differ between patients and controls, and between lower and higher lupus activity, apart from the fact that phosphorus was associated with SLEDAI > 6. In SLE patients, some micronutrients were associated with atherosclerotic plaque, left side. Lower intake of riboflavin and phosphorus was associated with atherosclerotic plaque, left side (odds ratio (OR) 3.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-8.40 and OR 4.36, 95% CI 1.53-12.39, respectively). Higher intake of selenium and thiamin was inversely associated with atherosclerotic plaque, left side (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.09-0.89 and OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08-0.80, respectively). In addition, higher intake of thiamin was inversely associated with echolucent plaque, left side (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.84). Lower intake of folate was inversely associated with bilateral echolucent plaque (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.13-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: SLE patients did not have different dietary micronutrient intake compared to controls. Phosphorus was associated with lupus activity. Riboflavin, phosphorus, selenium and thiamin were inversely associated with atherosclerotic plaque, left side in SLE patients, but not in controls. Dietary micronutrients may play a role in atherosclerosis in SLE.

Extent and characteristics of self-reported pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Patients' own experiences of subjective symptoms are scarcely covered, and the objective of this study was to investigate the extent and characteristics of self-reported pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: This study comprised a cross-sectional design where 84 patients with SLE were asked to complete self-assessments: visual analogue scale of pain and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Medical assessments, including ESR, SLAM, SLEDAI, and SLICC, were also performed. RESULTS: Of the study population, 24% reported higher levels of SLE-related pain (≥40 mm on VAS). This group had a significantly shorter disease duration, higher ESR, and higher disease activity, according to the SLAM and SLEDAI, compared to the rest of the study population. This group mainly used the words "tender," "aching," and "burning" to describe moderate and severe pain, and they used a greater number of words to describe their pain. Of the patients with higher levels of pain, 70% reported their present pain as "distressing." The most common pain location for the whole patient population was the joints. Patients rated their disease activity significantly higher than physicians did. CONCLUSION: These findings expand the current knowledge of the extent of SLE-related pain and how patients perceive this pain. The results can contribute to affirmative, supportive and caring communication and especially highlight SLE-related pain in patients with a short disease duration and high disease activity.

Health-related quality of life, fatigue and mood in patients with SLE and high levels of pain compared to controls and patients with low levels of pain.

Objective The objective of this paper is to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQoL), fatigue, anxiety and depression in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and higher levels of pain and to compare them to patients with lower levels of pain and controls. Method Patients were dichotomized into two groups based on SLE-related pain score on the visual analog scale (VAS): low-pain group (76%, n=64, VAS 0-39 mm) and high-pain group (24%, n=20, VAS 40-100 mm). Sex- and age-matched controls were randomly selected from the general population. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires regarding self-reported pain, HRQoL, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Medical assessments also were recorded. Result Fatigue score in the high-pain group (median, 36.5; interquartile range (IQR), 32.5-39.7) was significantly higher (p<0.001) compared to the low-pain group (median, 23; IQR, 14.6-34.1), as well as scores for anxiety (median, 9; IQR, 6.5-11.5) and depression (median, 7.5; IQR, 5.5-9) (p<0.001). The high-pain group had significantly lower scores compared to the low-pain group in all dimensions in the SF-36 (p ≤ 0.001-0.007). No statistical differences were detected between the low-pain group and controls in any measurement except for the dimensions physical function, general health, vitality and social function in SF-36. Conclusion Patients with SLE scoring higher degrees of pain were burdened with more fatigue, anxiety and depression and lower levels of HRQoL compared to patients with lower levels of pain who did not differ significantly from the general population in most dimensions. These results elucidate the importance of identifying patients with higher degrees of pain who are probably in need of more extensive multidimensional interventions to decrease symptom burden.

Diet and fatty acid pattern among patients with SLE: associations with disease activity, blood lipids and atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: As atherosclerosis is increased in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) we compared dietary habits in patients with SLE with controls, and in the patients studied associations of diet components, especially fatty acids (FAs), with disease activity, serum lipids and carotid plaque presence. METHODS: In all 114 patients with SLE and 122 age- and sex-matched population-based controls answered a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Subcutaneous abdominal fat cell aspiration was analysed as to FA content and plaque occurrence was determined by B-mode ultrasound. RESULTS: The total diet energy intake did not differ between patients and controls. However, the patients with SLE reported a higher intake of carbohydrate, lower fibre intake and lower intake of omega-3 and omega-6, than controls (p < 0.05). In the patients, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in adipose tissue (AT) correlated negatively with disease activity (SLEDAI), r = -0.36, p = < 0.001 and r = -0.33, p = < 0.001, respectively. AT omega-3 was further positively associated with serum apoA1, r = 0.29, p = 0.004, whereas AT omega-6 showed a negative association, r = -0.21, p = 0.040. These FAs also had opposite associations with plaque presence, EPA and were DHA negative, r = -0.32, p = 0.002 and r = -0.33, p = 0.001, respectively, and omega-6 positive, r = 0.22, p = 0.027. The carbohydrate intake was positively correlated to AT omega-6, r = 0.38, p < 0.001, and negatively with serum apoA1, r = -0.27, p = 0.005. CONCLUSION: The macronutrient dietary pattern is different in SLE as compared with controls. The low intake of omega-3 and high intake of carbohydrate among patients with SLE appear to be associated with worse disease activity, adverse serum lipids and plaque presence.

Cachexia in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with inflammatory activity, physical disability, and low bioavailable insulin-like growth factor.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the impact of inflammation, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and its regulating binding protein (IGFBP-1) on lean body mass (LBM) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In 60 inpatients (50 women), inflammatory activity was measured by Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin (IL)-6, and physical disability by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). LBM was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fat free mass index (FFMI; kg/m(2)) and fat mass index (FMI; kg/m(2)) were calculated. RESULTS: Median age was 65 years and disease duration 13 years. Fifty per cent of the patients had FFMI below the 10th percentile of a reference population and 45% had FMI above the 90th percentile, corresponding to the condition known as rheumatoid cachexia (loss of muscle mass in the presence of stable or increased FM). DAS28, CRP, and IL-6 correlated negatively with LBM (p = 0.001, 0.001, and 0.018, respectively), as did HAQ (p = 0.001). Mean (confidence interval) IGF-1 was in the normal range, at 130 (116-143) microg/L. IGFBP-1 levels were elevated in patients (median 58 microg/L in women and 59 microg/L in men) compared with a normal population (33 microg/L in women and 24 microg/L in men). The ratio IGF-1/IGFBP-1, which reflects bioavailable IGF-1, was low (2.0 microg/L) and was positively correlated with LBM (p = 0.015). In multiple regression analysis, 42% of the LBM variance was explained by IGF-1/IGFBP-1, HAQ score, and DAS28. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of RA inpatients, mainly women, had rheumatoid cachexia. The muscle wasting was explained by inflammatory activity and physical disability as well as low bioavailable IGF-1.

Malnutrition in women with rheumatoid arthritis is not revealed by clinical anthropometrical measurements or nutritional evaluation tools.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate diagnostic instruments for assessment of nutritional status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to objective body composition data. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Study subjects include 60 in-ward patients (83% women, median age 65 years). Anthropometric measures and the nutritional tools Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Nutritional Risk Screening tool 2002 (NRS-2002). Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and fat-free mass index (FFMI; kg/m(2)) and fat mass index (FMI; kg/m(2)) were calculated. RESULTS: Mean body mass index (BMI) for RA women and men were 24.4 and 26.9 kg/m(2), respectively. Twelve per cent of the women and none of the few men had BMI<18.5 kg/m(2), that is, the cutoff value for malnutrition. FFMI indicated 52% of the women and 30% of the men to be malnourished. The sensitivity and specificity for BMI to detect malnutrition according to FFMI were 27 and 100%, whereas for arm muscle circumference the sensitivity was 36% and the specificity 89% and for triceps skin fold 43 and 93%, respectively. For MNA, sensitivity was 85% and specificity 39% and for SGA 46 and 82%. Both MUST and NRS-2002 had sensitivity of 45% and specificity of 19%. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of in-ward RA patients had reduced FFMI. Concurrent elevation of fat mass made BMI a non-reliable tool to detect malnutrition. Of the tested clinical evaluation tools, MNA might be used as a screening instrument, but because of its low specificity it should be followed by body composition determination.