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Fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: lack of associations to serum cytokines, antiphospholipid antibodies, or other disease characteristics
OBJECTIVE: To determine if fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with levels of serum cytokines, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), or other disease features. METHODS: In a cross sectional study 57 Caucasian patients with SLE were subjected to clinical neurologica...
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Published in: | Journal of rheumatology 2002-03, Vol.29 (3), p.482-486 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | OBJECTIVE: To determine if fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with levels of serum
cytokines, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), or other disease features. METHODS: In a cross sectional study 57 Caucasian
patients with SLE were subjected to clinical neurological examination and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fatigue
was evaluated by Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and disease activity by SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Serum levels of
tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), interferon-alpha
(IFN-alpha), anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) IgG and IgM, as well as anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibody (anti-beta2-GPI) IgG
and IgM were analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: Four of 5 patients with SLE had fatigue (FSS score > or = 3). There were no associations
between fatigue and any sociodemographic variables, medication for SLE, disease activity, cerebral infarcts, serum cytokines,
aCL or beta2-GPI antibodies, or any routine hematological, biochemical, or immunological tests. CONCLUSION: Fatigue is a common
phenomenon in patients with SLE. There is no association to disease activity or other markers of disease or inflammation.
Fatigue is a complex phenomenon, and cytokine involvement in brain tissue not reflected by cytokine serum concentrations in
this study cannot be excluded. Alternatively, psychosocial factors may well be the dominant predictor of fatigue in patients
with SLE. |
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ISSN: | 0315-162X 1499-2752 |