The effects of fatigue and pain on daily life activities in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pain and fatigue on daily life activities of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHODS The study sample included 74 SLE patients who presented to outpatient departments of a university hospital and two local hospitals between 30.9.2009 and 15.5.2010. Data was collected using the Fatigue Severity Scale, Katz's Activity's Daily Living Index, Lawton and Brody's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS The mean scores were 6.0 (fatigue) on the Fatigue Severity Scale, 18.0 (independent) on the Daily Life Activities Index, 24.0 (independent) on the Instrumental Daily Life Activities Index, and 1.56 (discomforting) on the McGill Pain Scale for pain felt at the moment of questioning. A low-level negative relationship was observed between the scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale and the Daily Life Activities Index (p<0.05, r=-0.298), and between Fatigue and Instrumental Daily Life Activities scores (p<0.05, r=-0.354). A medium-level positive relationship was observed between the scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale and the McGill Pain Scale (p<0.05, r=0.478). CONCLUSION This study determined that pain and fatigue affected the daily lives of SLE patients. The study should be repeated on a larger sample.