Background Translation, validation, and use of a computerized battery for cognitive evaluation of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as part of an investigation of neuropsychiatric manifestations is useful and allows multicenter studies.

Methods This is a quantitative transversal study with control group conducted in pediatric and adult rheumatology clinics. The computer test batteries ANAM (Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics) or PedAnam (Pediatric version) was submitted to the Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation. This process has five stages: Initial translation, synthesis of the translations, back translation, harmonization, test of the prefinal version and final version. After the process, we apply the ANAM in 98 SLE patients and healthy age-matched individuals. All individuals underwent an evaluation through the battery tests taking 30 min on average to solve the problems.

Results 98 SLE patients, 69 female and 29 male, ages between 6 and 68 years with mean of 28.6. The control group had 84 people, 73 female and 11 male, ages between 6 and 65 years with mean of 25. For the evaluation was used the Performance Validity Index score, that provides a performance indicator, between 0 and 14, for someone with good effort, or above for someone outside the range of that expected for someone providing good effort. Patients presented an average performance of 8.05, with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 33, while the control group had a mean of 4.4, minimum 0 and maximum of 27. As the smaller score results in a better effort, it is possible to notice meaningful differences between the groups (p<0.05).

Conclusions Cognitive difficulties are often observed in SLE and practical tools like ANAM and PedAnan should be used to measure the cognitive loss that patients may have; these losses should be monitored more closely if there are other neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Funding Source(s): CNPq

CAPES

FAPESP