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Original Research

Cultural and quality-of-life considerations when administering corticosteroids as a therapeutic strategy for African American women living with systemic lupus erythematosus

, , , , &
Pages 1007-1014 | Published online: 12 Jun 2018
 

Abstract

Objective

This study investigated the association among corticosteroids, emotional health, physical health, and work/regular activities of daily living in an ethnically diverse sample of women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Methods

A secondary analysis of data from the Medical University of South Carolina Lupus Database was conducted between confirmed cases of lupus (n = 224) and controls (n = 60). The sample comprised 57 Caucasian Americans, 141 Gullah African Americans (a subpopulation of African Americans from the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia), and 86 non-Gullah African Americans.

Results

Emotional health outcomes were better for women with systemic lupus erythematosus compared with controls. High emotional health scores may be influenced by cultural factors such as masking emotion, disease-coping mechanisms, religion, and strong familial and social support. Although a significant association was not detected between emotional health and work/regular activities of daily living, relationships were significant after adjusting for corticosteroid use.

Conclusion

These findings suggest corticosteroid use does influence the strength of the association between emotional health and work/regular activities of daily living.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Rheumatology and Immunology Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Grant (no AR062755). The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or NIAMS. This work’s abstract has been presented previously and published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.