Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Stress as a trigger of disease flares in SLE

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Rheumatology International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were asked to report their perceptions as to whether stress can trigger disease flares. A total of 54 patients treated at two District General Hospitals in Essex were included in the analysis. They were 4 males and 50 females and were 20 Caucasians, 22 Asians, and 12 Africans/Afro-Caribbean. Thirty-three of 54 patients (61.1%) reported stress to be a trigger for disease flares. Although most (85%) of the Caucasian patients reported that stress triggered their disease flares, only 50% of the African/Afro-Caribbean patients and 45.4% of the Asian patients reported stress as a trigger for disease flares. No correlation was found between reported number of flares per year and characteristics such as age (P = 0.4), age at diagnosis (P = 0.8), age at disease onset (P = 0.6), or disease duration (P = 0.2). A trend towards a significant correlation was observed between the number of reported flares per year and the number of children a patient has (P = 0.07).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Boomsma MM, Bijl M, Stegeman CA, Kallenberg CGM, Hoffman GS, Tervaert JWC (2002) Patients’ perception of the effects of SLE on health, function, income and interpersonal relationships: a comparison with Wegener’s granulomatosis. Arthr Rheum 47(2):196–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kumar K, Gordon C, Barry R, Shaw K, Horne R, Raza K (2011) “It’s like taking poison to kill poison but I have to get better”: a qualitative study of beliefs about medicines in RA and SLE patients of South Asian origin. Lupus 20:837–844

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Brophy S, Calin A (2002) Definition of disease flare in ankylosing spondylitis: the patients’ perspective. J Rheumatol 29:954–958

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Neame R, Hammond A (2005) Beliefs about medications: a questionnaire survey of people with RA. Rheumatol Oxf 44:762–767

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bricou O, Taieb B, Baubet T, Gal B, Guillevin L, Moro MR (2006) Stress and coping strategies in systemic Lupus Erythematosus. A review. J Neuroimmunomodul 13:283–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hopkinson ND, Doherty M, Powell RJ (1994) Clinical features and race specific incidence/prevalence rates of systemic lupus erythematosus in a geographically complete cohort of patients. Ann Rheum Dis 53:675–680

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Lau CS, Yin G, Mok MY (2006) Ethnic and geographical differences in systemic lupus erythematosus: an overview. Lupus 15:715–719

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Molokhia M, McKeigue P (2006) Systemic lupus erythematosus: genes versus environment in high risk populations. Lupus 15:827–832

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tan EM, Cohen AS, Fries JF et al (1982) The revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus Erythematosus. Arthr Rheum 25:1271–1277

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Roussou E, Appanna M, Ahmed K (2009) [ABSTRACT] Acculturation index and its use on patients’ knowledge in Lupus Disease. Rheumatology 48:45–51

    Google Scholar 

  11. Taieb O, Bricou O, Baubet T et al (2010) Patients’ beliefs about the causes of systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatol Oxf 49:592–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, King George Hospital, Barley Lanes, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex, IG3 8YB, UK

    E. Roussou & C. Iacovou

  2. Department of Rheumatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX, UK

    A. Weerakoon & K. Ahmed

Authors
  1. E. Roussou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Iacovou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Weerakoon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. Ahmed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Roussou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roussou, E., Iacovou, C., Weerakoon, A. et al. Stress as a trigger of disease flares in SLE. Rheumatol Int 33, 1367–1370 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-011-2292-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-011-2292-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation