Psychiatric symptomatology in skin-restricted lupus patients without axis I psychiatric disorders: A post-hoc analysis 2023 Rondepierre et al

Abstract

Background
Skin-restricted lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with high rates of depression and anxiety disorders. Patients without psychiatric disorders can experience anxiety and depressive symptoms at a subclinical level, which could be risk factors for progression towards psychiatric disorders. It was decided, therefore, to investigate the presence of specific symptoms in skin-restricted lupus patients without axis I psychiatric disorders and their impact on the occurrence of axis I psychiatric disorders during the study follow-up.

Methods
Longitudinal data of 38 patients and 76 matched controls without active axis I psychiatric disorders from the LuPsy cohort were used. Depressive, neurovegetative, psychic and somatic anxiety symptom scores were established from the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale (HAMA).

Results
None of the participants had any current active axis I psychiatric disorders but the patients had personality disorders more frequently and had received more past psychotropic treatments than the controls. They also had higher MADRS and HAMA scores than the controls, in particular neurovegetative, psychic anxiety and somatic symptoms scores. No dermatological factor tested was associated with these scores, whereas being a lupus patient was associated with higher neurovegetative and somatic symptoms scores, having a current personality disorder with higher depressive and neurovegetative scores and receiving more past psychotropic treatments with psychic anxiety and somatic symptoms scores. The occurrence of psychiatric disorders during the study follow-up was associated with an elevated psychic anxiety score at baseline and past psychotropic treatment but not with history of psychiatric disorder.

Limitations
The LuPsy cohort included a large number of patients with axis I psychiatric disorders, the sample without axis I psychiatric disorders is therefore limited.

Conclusions
We observed numerous psychiatric symptoms among the skin-restricted lupus patients. They should therefore receive special attention in the management of their subclinical symptoms before they progress towards full psychiatric disorders.

Open access, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0282079

 

Autoimmune disease is famous for creating tons of vague symptoms. They're bound to score higher on symptoms people with health anxiety worry about. The "somatic symptoms scores" are clearly biased, but nobody has enough critical thinking to consider that.

 

it is not about evidence gathering just an attempt at empire building by creating their own so called evidence.

 

What does that mean? "Skin-restricted lupus patients" ? What is skin-restriction?

I've found lots of reference to it, but none actually explain what the name actually means.

 

To be read it as 'restricted to' so no other organ involvement other than the skin. e.g:
Tyrosine kinase 2 and interferon regulatory factor 5 polymorphisms are associated with discoid and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Abstract: Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a heterogeneous disease ranging from skin-restricted manifestations to a progressive multisystem disease. The specific skin lesions include chronic cutaneous, subacute cutaneous and acute cutaneous LE. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of LE. However, reports on the genetic background of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) forms, namely discoid (DLE) and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), are sparse.

 

@CRG

Thank you. I would never have guessed that.