ABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and correlate it with a crude estimate of accrual organ damage, comorbidity (diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia) and treatment (oral anticoagulation, immunosuppressors and prednisone). METHODS: We assessed HRQoL with the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) and the Lupus Quality of Life instrument (LupusQoL) and the disease burden with a modified Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SLICC/ACR SDI). As controls we used SF-36 data from a Mexican general population within the same age range. RESULTS: We included 50 PAPS patients (86% women), mean age 47.6 ± 14.5 years, median disease duration 9.4 years, median SLICC/ACR score of 1 point and 80% had thrombotic events. PAPS patients had lower HRQoL than controls. We found a positive correlation between SF-36 and LupusQoL (r = 0.85, P < 0.0001). The SLICC/ACR SDI correlated negatively with both LupusQoL and SF-36, specifically the peripheral vascular domain (r = -0.29, P = 0.03, for both). Patients on oral anticoagulants (n = 37) had lower LupusQoL, physical functioning, intimate relationships, burden to others and pain scores as well as a lower SF-36 physical functioning score. We did not find differences in HRQoL regarding comorbidities and other treatments. CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL in PAPS was related to burden of the disease specifically at the vascular peripheral area and use of anticoagulants.