EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT) TO REDUCE STRESS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) PATIENTS

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. The way patients perceive the impact of disease on their physical, emotional, and social function, or health related quality of life (HRQOL), is poorer in patients with SLE (McElhone, et al., 2006). Anxiety and depression, which are frequently caused by daily stress, are the most prevalent psychological disorders experienced by lupus patients, affecting up to 40% of patients in some series (Navarette, et al., 2010). There is a study on the effects of reducing stress in lupus patients using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Methods: Search were conducted from PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. The specific search terms used were “cognitive-behavioral therapy”, and “systemic lupus erythemathosus”. The criteria used to search for published studies for this study include: (1) “cognitive behavioral therapy” and “systemic lupus erythematosus”; (2) written in English; (3) studies during 2009-2016. Finally 3 studies were collected and analyzed for this review. Results: We found a significant reduction in the level of depression, anxiety and daily stress in the Therapy Group (TG) compared to the Control Group (CG) toms in the TG throughout the entire follow up period. The group of patients who received the therapy improved their level of physical role functioning, vitality, general health perceptions and mental health, compared with the group of patients who only received conventional care. We did not find any significant changes in the immunological parameters. Conclusions: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can cope the stress levels experienced by patients with lupus. CBT is effective in treating lupus patients with high levels of stress, reduce the incidence of psychological disorders associated with lupus, improve and maintain the quality of life (QOL) of patients. CBT had a significant impact on improving the quality of life of patients with lupus erythemathosus. Keywords: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Systemic Lupus Erythemathosus (SLE), Stres