FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND END-ORGAN DAMAGE IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE), SLE AND SJOGRENS-SYNDROME (SS), AND PRIMARYSS

Objective. To determine the accumulated end organ damage and health st atus in patients with SS and to compare with patients with SLE (with o r without SS). Methods. Thirty-seven patients with primary SS were stu died and compared with 120 patients with SLE and 21 patients with SLE and SS. The Medical Outcome Survey Short Form 20 with an additional qu estion for fatigue was used to assess health status. The SLICC/ACR dam age index with a supplementary oral section was used to assess end org an damage. For statistical analysis, logistic regression analysis, Fis her's exact test, and Kruskal-Wallis rank tests were applied. Results. Patients in all 3 groups had reduced quality of life with respect to all aspects of functional status and well being. There was no differen ce between the groups. In the primary SS group, the greatest damage wa s in the oral section (62% of patients). The patients with SLE and SS had the greatest renal, peripheral vascular, and musculoskeletal damag e (24, 19, 38% of patients, respectively) followed by the SLE group. O cular damage was more common in the primary SS group, but that was due to older age in this group. Malignancy was most common in the primary SS group (11%). Other organ damage scores did not differ between grou ps. Conclusion. End organ damage is uncommon in primary SS (with the e xception of oral damage), but the degree of functional ability is as g reat as in SLE.