The Relationship Between Lipid Profile as a Cardiovascular Risk Factor and Patient-Reported Physical Activity Scores:...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significantly increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk due to factors like dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity.
• These CVD risk factors can negatively impact patients' quality of life (QoL) by limiting physical activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify lipid abnormalities as CVD risk factors in a Saudi SLE cohort.
• To examine the relationship between lipid profiles, SLE characteristics, treatments, and patient-reported physical activity outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a Saudi SLE cohort (n=169) including demographics, lipid profiles, BMI, blood pressure, SLE disease activity (SLEDAI-2K), and SDI.
• Assessment of physical function and QoL using LupusQoL and PROMIS Physical Function T scores.
• Logistic regression analyses to determine associations between lipid abnormalities, SLE factors, and physical activity measures.

Main Results:

• The cohort showed high prevalence of dyslipidemia (23.7%), obesity (66.3%), and hypertension (26.0%).
• Dyslipidemia was significantly associated with lower LupusQoL physical scores (adjusted OR 0.986; p=0.0446).
• No significant association was found between lipid levels and PROMIS Physical Function T scores.

Conclusions:

• Dyslipidemia and other modifiable CVD risk factors are prevalent in the Saudi SLE population.
• Dyslipidemia correlates with diminished physical QoL as measured by LupusQoL, emphasizing the need for lifestyle interventions.
• Targeting lipid management is important for improving physical function and QoL in SLE patients.