Living With Lupus Nephritis: Elevated Impact on Patient Life

The study analyzed 4375 responses from the "Living with Lupus in 2020" survey to compare the life impact on SLE patients with and without lupus nephritis (LN). It found that LN patients (782) face a significantly higher burden in several areas compared to non-LN patients (3593). LN patients reported more challenges in family planning, with 41.0% having no children and 50.7% wishing for more, compared to 31.0% and 34.7% in non-LN, respectively. Professionally, 18.8% of LN patients stopped working for medical reasons versus 13.8% of non-LN, and 74.0% felt their career was impacted by lupus compared to 66.1% of non-LN. LN patients also experienced more symptoms (10.2 vs. 8.4) and took more medications (6.0 vs. 5.0). Quality of life was lower for LN patients, with higher scores on the EQ5D scale (2.63 vs. 2.48) and greater concerns about disease progression (68.3% vs. 61.3%). Overall, LN patients endure a higher burden in family planning, professional life, disease features, medication, and quality of life.