Kidney Function, Age, and Education as Contributors to Depression and Anxiety in Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

• Published in: European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 1503 - 1515
• Main Authors: Figueiredo-Braga, Margarida, Silva, Beatriz, Ganhão, Sara, Aguiar, Francisca, Cornaby, Caleb, Brito, Iva, Poole, Brian D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25-11-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Anxiety; autoimmune; Control Groups; depression; Depression (Psychology); Executive Function; Females; Hospitals; juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus; Laboratories; Lupus; Measurement Techniques; Mental depression; Multivariate Analysis; nephritis; Patients; Psychological Patterns; Rheumatology; Statistical Analysis; nephritis; anxiety; depression; autoimmune; lupus; juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus
• ISSN: 2254-9625; 2174-8144; 2254-9625
• DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe11040107

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is diagnosed in children younger than 18 years of age. Depression and anxiety are common, but not well understood in JSLE. We investigated the clinical and psychological factors associated with the psychological manifestations of JSLE. Twenty-nine JSLE patients were recruited for the study. Patients completed surveys evaluating their psychological status and perceptions about their health. Medical records were used to obtain laboratory results. The JSLE patient population was compared with adult-onset SLE (ASLE) patients and unaffected controls. Kidney involvement was associated with depression in the JSLE patients. The BUN levels, BUN/creatinine ratio, and leukocyturia were all significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Multivariate analysis found that the BUN/creatinine ratio was the most predictive value for both depression and anxiety. Depressive symptoms in JSLE were less pronounced than in ASLE, although anxiety was not different. Age and education are likely to be protective against depression in the JSLE patients. These findings may indicate that symptomatology is an important indicator of whether the patient needs psychiatric care.