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Lower Income Linked With Lupus Damage
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Along with longer disease duration and older age, lower income was linked with lupus damage, according to a recently published study.
“Unmodified characteristics, such as longer disease duration, older age and self-report as non-white race, were associated with damage,” the researchers wrote. “However, low income and the incapacity to work because of lupus were also associated with organ damage.”
Investigators assessed 523 patients with lupus. The researchers found 65.6% had a systemic lupus international collaborating clinics damage index (SDI) score of at least one. Having an SDI score of at least one was also linked with having a reduced income. In addition, non-white patients had a higher SDI compared with white patients. Furthermore, SDI was linked with disease duration and age and was negatively associated with years of education. Also, working patients had a lower SDI compared with patients who worked. In the multivariate analysis, older age, disease duration, non-white race, low income status and being unemployment were linked with lupus damage.
“Therefore, interventions to give adequate socioeconomic support are necessary to improve outcome, mainly in poorer and non-white [systemic lupus erythematosus] SLE patients,” the researchers wrote. – by Will Offit
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
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Elizabeth Kirchner, MSN, CNP
This Brazilian study was telling; the population which was studied was impoverished (median income $276 per month) and had a lower median education level (10th grade) than populations in U.S. and Western European studies. Even so, economic and educational variables still had an effect on disease control. What this tells us is that any socioeconomic support that can be offered to patients with SLE can be expected to have a profound impact on patient outcomes.
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