Impact of remission and low disease activity on health-related quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the impact of remission and lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods: Short-Form 36 (SF-36), three-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-3L) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue data from the BLISS-52 (NCT00424476) and BLISS-76 (NCT00410384) trials were used. Duration in remission/LLDAS required to reach a HRQoL benefit ≥ minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) during and post-treatment was determined using quantile regression and generalized estimating equations. Results: Patients (n = 1684) were assessed every fourth week (15 visits). Four cumulative (β = 0.60..