Analysis of relevant factors associated with the SarQoL total score
| Variables | Grouping (n) | SarQoL total score*† | ||
| Mean (SD) | Mean difference (95% CI) | P value | ||
| Age (years) | <40 (107) ≥40 (38) | 72.80 (12.22) 65.99 (13.62) | 6.80 (2.09 to 11.50) | 0.005 |
| Body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2)‡ | Normal (68) Abnormal (77) | 71.48 (13.55) 70.61 (12.39) | 0.867 (−3.39 to 5.12) | 0.688 |
| Muscle strength (kg) | Good (94) Low (51) | 74.36 (10.57) 64.85 (14.56) | 9.50 (5.33 to 13.66) | <0.001 |
| Walking speed (m/s) | Normal (17) Low (128) | 75.39 (10.02) 70.43 (13.17) | 4.95 (−1.6 to 11.51) | 0.175 |
| Appendicular muscle mass index | Good (118) Low (27) | 71.07 (12.86) 70.79 (13.34) | 0.28 (−5.18 to 5.74) | 0.919 |
| Sarcopenia status | Non-sarcopenic (119) Sarcopenic (26) | 70.97 (12.85) 71.21 (13.42) | 0.23 (−5.77 to 5.30) | 0.933 |
| Vitamin D25OH level (ng/mL) | Normal (44) Deficiency (101) | 71.03 (11.85) 71.01 (13.40) | 0.01 (−4.60 to 4.64) | 0.994 |
| Daily protein intake (g/kg BW) | Sufficient (92) Insufficient (53) | 72.38 (12.30) 68.64 (13.69) | 3.74 (−0.63 to 8.11) | 0.093 |
| Daily PUFA intake (mg) | Sufficient (79) Insufficient (66) | 71.56 (12.70) 70.36 (13.21) | 1.20 (−3.06 to 5.47) | 0.577 |
| Weekly IPAQ score (min) | Moderate-high (95) Low (49) | 71.95 (12.62) 69.62 (13.21) | 2.33 (−2.12 to 6.79) | 0.303 |
| Weekly moderate-heavy physical activity (min) | Sufficient (46) Insufficient (98) | 72.43 (10.94) 70.56 (13.64) | 1.86 (−2.67 to 6.40) | 0.417 |
| Barthel’s Activity of Daily Living | Independent (69) Dependent (76) | 72.42 (11.34) 69.74 (14.14) | 2.68 (−1.50 to 6.87) | 0.207 |
| Time diagnosed with lupus (years) | ≤5 years (74) ≥5 years (70) | 70.28 (12.62) 71.89 (13.31) | 1.60 (−5.8 to 2.66) | 0.459 |
| 30 days Mex-SLEDAI score (points) | <2 (28) ≥2 (117) | 74.74 (10.43) 70.12 (13.31) | 4.62 (−0.71 to 9.95) | 0.089 |
| Lupus arthritis | No (93) Yes (52) | 73.07 (11.97) 67.34 (13.80) | 5.72 (1.39 to 10.05) | 0.01 |
| Pain score (VAS) | ≤4 (94) >4 (51) | 74.73 (10.65) 64.16 (13.96) | 10.57 (6.11 to 15.03) | <0.001 |
| Serum CRP level (mg/dL) | Normal (59) Increased (17) | 73.66 (12.12) 66.52 (12.30) | 7.14 (0.47 to 13.81) | 0.036 |
| Corticosteroid usage in the previous month | No (22) Yes (123) | 70.83 (13.63) 71.05 (12.83) | 0.221 (−6.14 to 5.70) | 0.941 |
| Corticosteroid mean dose (mg prednisone equivalent) | Low (107) High (38) | 71.20 (12.72) 70.49 (13.57) | 0.704 (−4.13 to 5.53) | 0.774 |
*Bold values denote statistically significant results.
†SarQoL range 0–100; the higher, the better.
‡Normal BMI includes those with normal or overweight; abnormal includes those with underweight or obese.
BW, body weight; CRP, C reactive protein; IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire; Mex-SLEDAI, Mexican SLE Disease Activity; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; SarQoL, Sarcopenia-related Quality of Life; VAS, Visual Analogue Score.