Demographic and clinical characteristics
| n=80 | Mean | SD | n | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 48 | 13.5 | Ethnic background | ||
| Diagnosis years | 7.7 | 6.2 | Caucasian | 78 | 97.5 |
| Quality of life* | 4 | 1.3 | Asian | 2 | 2.5 |
| Health VAS score† | 55 | 23 | Educational background | ||
| Stress VAS score‡ | 50 | 27 | Year 9 (15 years) | 8 | 10 |
| Work hours/day | 4.3 | 3.6 | School/Leaving Certificate | 24 | 30 |
| Number of jobs over lifetime | 6.9 | 3.8 | High school certificate | 2 | 2.5 |
| Proportion employment /age§ | 12.5 | 6.3 | Apprenticeship | 4 | 5 |
| N | % | Tertiary (university/college) | 36 | 45 | |
| Current employment status | Postgraduate studies | 6 | 7.5 | ||
| Full time | 14 | 17.5 | Socio economic status | ||
| Part-time | 22 | 27.5 | Above average | 9 | 11.25 |
| Homemaker or Homeworking | 12 | 15 | Average | 56 | 70 |
| Student+part-time | 1 | 1.25 | Below average | 15 | 18.75 |
| Retired | 20 | 25 | Body Mass Index | ||
| Unemployed | 1 | 1.25 | Underweight | 2 | 2.5 |
| Disabled | 16 | 20 | Normal | 21 | 26.25 |
| Total employment full or part time | 31 | 46.3 | Overweight | 33 | 41.25 |
| Clinical ACR SLE features | Obese | 24 | 30 | ||
| Malar rash | 57 | 71.3 | Smoking status | ||
| Discoid rash | 3 | 3.8 | Current smoker | 6 | 7.5 |
| Photosensitivity | 43 | 53.8 | Past smoker | 30 | 37.5 |
| Oral/nasal ulcers | 29 | 36.3 | Self-reported flare features | ||
| Arthritis | 63 | 78.8 | Joint and muscle pain | 56 | 70 |
| Serositis | 20 | 25.0 | Fatigue | 54 | 67.5 |
| Renal disorder | 37 | 46.3 | Rash | 25 | 31.25 |
| Neurological disorder | 33 | 41.3 | Headache | 19 | 23.75 |
| Haematological disorder | 39 | 48.8 | Fevers | 11 | 13.75 |
| Immunologic disorder | 27 | 33.8 | Brain fog/cognitive clouding | 11 | 13.75 |
| Antinuclear antibody | 73 | 91.3 | Joint swelling | 11 | 13.75 |
| Positive response to pharmaceutics | 75 | 93.8 | Gastrointestinal problems | 10 | 12.5 |
| Immune therapy medications | 67 | 83.8 | n=80 | Mean | SD |
| Vitamin D supplementation | 42 | 52.5 | Flare number (year) | 6.8 | 2.1 |
| Flare days (year) | 29.2 | 8.9 | |||
*Quality of life categories. (1) ‘Excellent’, (2) ‘Good’, (3) ‘Moderately good’, (4) ‘Neither good nor bad’, (5) ‘Rather poor’, (6) ‘poor’, (7) ‘Extremely poor’.
†Health VAS score of current health (0) ‘Excellent’—(100) ‘Extremely Poor’.
‡Stress VAS score of current stress level (0) ‘Not stressed at all’—(100) ‘Highly stressed’.
§Proportioned lifetime length of employment/age, range (2–32% of total life).
ACR, American College of Rheumatology; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; VAS, visual analogue scale.