POS0715 QUANTIFYING THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT OF UNDIFFERENTIATED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE (UCTD)
Authors: C. Siegel, E. Sevim, B. Stamm, J. Vega, J. Kleinman, J. Barnhill, M. Lockshin, L. Sammaritano, M. Barbhaiya
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: Only half of patients diagnosed with SLE fulfill classification criteria; the rest have “SLE-like” illnesses such as UCTD. SLE patients are known to experience impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and significant anxiety, depression, and fatigue, 1 yet the psychosocial aspects of UCTD are less established. In a qualitative study, we found that most UCTD patients had engaged in psychotherapy and felt additional support was needed. 2 Objectives: Using multiple validated instruments, this study aims to quantify the psychosocial impact of UCTD. Methods: The Hospital for Special Surgery UCTD and Overlap Registry includes UCTD patients aged ≥ 18 years with ANA ≥ 1:80 and ≥ 1 sign or symptom of rheumatic disease who do not fulfill classification criteria for a defined CTD. We administered the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) to all patients to assess HRQoL, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Instruments were scored based on established algorithms and results were summarized using predefined scales and severity thresholds. Results: The composite questionnaire was administered to 85 UCTD patients and completed by 75 (97.3% female, 60% white, mean age ± SD 48.8 ± 13.6 years). The SF-36 Physical Component Summary mean score was 37.8 and Mental Component Summary mean score was 41.1. Across the 8 SF-36 subscales, mean scores were lowest for role limitations due to physical health (39.3) and vitality (39.7) and highest for physical functioning (67.2), role limitations due to emotional health (67.1), and mental health (67.1). Approximately half of UCTD patients reported anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 6); 20% had moderate/severe anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 10). The prevalence of depression (BDI ≥ 14) was 26.7%; 13.3% had moderate/severe depression (BDI ≥ 20). Fatigue (FSS ≥ 3) was reported by 82.8% of patients (median FSS score of 4.7) [Table 1]. Table 1. Psychosocial Survey Scores of Patients with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (n=75) 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36 ) Range 1-100 – Mean (SD)* Physical Component Summary ∘Physical functioning ∘Role-Physical ∘Bodily Pain oGeneral Health 38.2 (11.2) 67.2 (26.3) 39.3 (46.3) 49.5 (22.1) 42.9 (21.5) Mental Component Summary ∘Vitality ∘Social Functioning ∘Role-Emotional oMental Health 41.3 (10.7) 39.7 (21.7) 59.3 (25.9) 67.1 (41.9) 67.1 (18.3) Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7 ) Range 0-21 – N (%)** None [0-5] Mild [6-10] Moderate [11-15] Severe [16-21] 38 (50.7) 22 (29.3) 14 (18.7) 1 (1.3) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI ) Range 0-63 – N (%)** Minimal [0-13] Mild [14-19] Moderate [20-28] Severe [29-63] 55 (73.3) 10 (13.3) 7 (9.3) 3 (4.0) Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS ) Range 1-7 – Median (IQR)** 4.7 (1.5) *Higher number indicates better health state. **Higher number indicates greater severity. Conclusion: UCTD patients have significantly impaired HRQoL and a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, suggesting substantial psychosocial impact of UCTD comparable to that reported in SLE. 3,4 Impaired HRQoL in UCTD is driven to similar degrees by aspects of physical and mental health. In future studies, we will compare age- and sex- matched UCTD to SLE patients and longitudinally evaluate psychosocial metrics alongside clinical trajectories. References: [1]Dietz B, Katz P, Dall’Era M, et al. Major depression and adverse patient-reported outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus: Results from a prospective longitudinal cohort. Arthritis Care Res . 2021;73(1):48-54. [2]Siegel CH, Kleinman J, Barbhaiya M, et al. The psychosocial impact of undifferentiated connective tissue disease on patient health and well-being: A qualitative study. J Clin Rheumatol . In press. [3]Gu M, Cheng Q, Wang X, et al. The impact of SLE on health-related quality of life assessed with SF-36: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Lupus . 2019;28(3):371-382. [4]Zhang L, Fu T, Yin R, Zhang Q, Shen B. Prevalence of depression and anxiety in systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry . 2017;17(1). Acknowledgements: This project was supported by the Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Diseases and the Robin J. Sillau Memorial Research Fund for Connective Tissue Disease. Dr. Barbhaiya is supported by the Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award. Disclosure of Interests: None declared