Mood states and disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with bromocriptine

We tested mood states in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) t reated with the prolactin-lowering drug, bromocriptine. Bromocriptine was g iven to seven patients in an open-label study to test its effects on active SLE. Two independent measures of SLE activity, the SLE Activity Measure (S LAM) and the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), were scored and the Sympt om Questionnaire (SQ) mood survey was administered at entry and at 6 monthl y follow-up visits. The SLAM and SLEDAI scores improved significantly durin g treatment. Two of the four mood scales in the SQ (Anxiety Scale and Anger -Hostility Scale) showed significant improvement compared to the entry valu e at least once during treatment. Significant improvement was also observed in the Total Distress Score, which is the sum of the four scales and is a more sensitive measure of distress than the score of an individual scale. D epression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and total distress correlated posit ively with SLAM and/or SLEDAI scores. The Anxiety Scale and the Total Distr ess Score improved with treatment and did con elate positively with SLE: ac tivity. In contrast, the Anger-Hostility Scale improved with treatment but did not correlate with SLE activity.