Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0409974 (lupus)
 22,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of alexithymic characteristics in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), comparing them with a population of healthy subjects. Fifty-three SLE patients [American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria] and 31 healthy volunteer subjects were administered validated scales for alexithymia (Toronto alexythimia scale-20), psychopathology (brief symptom inventory; hospital anxiety and depression scale), personality dimensions (NEO five-factor inventory), and quality of life (short form-36 health survey). The SLE patient's clinical and laboratory evaluations were performed by computerized indicators of activity (SLE disease activity index), of accumulated damage (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index), length of disease, and therapy. A high prevalence of alexithymia was found in SLE patients. Alexithymia was associated with psychopathology, personality, and quality of life dimensions. Clinical variables and therapy were not correlated significantly with alexithymia, psychopathology, or quality of life dimensions. Multiple regression analysis showed that openness and depression were the two predictors for alexithymia in SLE patients. The present findings showed that alexithymia may play an important role in SLE patients. The difficulty in the management of emotions may lead to psychological distress and instability affecting the patient's quality of life, a relevant finding for the psychological, psychiatric, and clinical intervention and approach.
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PMID:Alexithymia in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. 1975 55

Impaired emotional abilities (higher scores of alexithymia and lower levels of emotional awareness) were found in patients with skin-restricted lupus, warranting examination of the relationship between these abilities and the evolution of skin-restricted lupus, using longitudinal data. A total of 75 consecutive outpatients with skin-restricted lupus were recruited and assessed by a dermatologist and a psychiatrist every 6 months over a period of 2.5 years. Alexithymia and emotional awareness were evaluated with the French versions of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). During follow-up, good stability of the LEAS scores was observed, whereas TAS-20 scores varied; those variations were positively associated both with lupus duration and current psychiatric and personality disorders, but not with lupus remission. Such findings regarding 2 complementary aspects of emotional functioning are of direct interest for the management of patients with skin-restricted lupus.
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PMID:Emotional Ability and Skin-restricted Lupus Evolution: A Longitudinal Study. 3083 55