Cognitive Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients at Siriraj Hospital

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in SLE patients with overt neuropsychiatric manifestations (NPSLE) or without ovent neuropsychiatric manifestation (nSLE) and its association with disease duration, disease activity, previous neuropsychiatric involvement and medications. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 33 SLE patients, 33 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 32 healthy subjects (age, sex, and education matched) were evaluated using the standardized neuropsychological battery tests recommended by the American College of Rheumatology Ad HOC Committee on neuropsychiatric lupus nomenclature and the Thai Mental State Examination (TMSE). Disease activity was measured by the SLE Activity Measure (SLAM). Current medications and previous NPSLE syndrome were documented. Results: Cognitive dysfunction in SLE patients (51.5%) and RA patients (48.5%) was significantly more than that in control subjects (18.8%). Cognitive dysfunction was not associated with disease duration, disease activity, previous NPSLE syndrome and current medications. Conclusion: The results suggest that cognitive dysfunction is common in Thai SLE patients even when there is no overt evidence of neuropsychiatric involvement