PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - SARA CAVACO
AU  - ANA MARTINS da SILVA
AU  - ERNESTINA SANTOS
AU  - ESTER COUTINHO
AU  - ANTÓNIO MARINHO
AU  - INÊS MOREIRA
AU  - ALEXANDRA GONÇALVES
AU  - CLÁUDIA PINTO
AU  - ARMANDO TEIXEIRA-PINTO
AU  - CARLOS VASCONCELOS
TI  - Are Cognitive and Olfactory Dysfunctions in Neuropsychiatric Lupus Erythematosus Dependent on Anxiety or Depression?
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.110574
DP  - 2012 Apr 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 770--776
VI  - 39
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/4/770.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/4/770.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2012 Apr 01; 39
AB  - Objective. Depressed mood and cognitive impairments are common findings in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and frequently coexist. We assessed the neuropsychological functioning of patients with SLE and investigated its association with psychopathological symptoms. Methods. A total of 85 patients with SLE (28 with neuropsychiatric syndromes: NPSLE) and 85 healthy control subjects with similar demographic characteristics were asked to perform a series of neuropsychological tests. A self-report questionnaire (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) was used to screen for psychopathology symptoms. Patients with SLE underwent a neurological examination. Results. Patients with NPSLE were more depressed and were more frequently impaired in cognitive and olfactory functions than controls or non-NPSLE patients. The NPSLE group remained statistically different from the other 2 groups on a series of neuropsychological measures (the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test – Part A, Nine-Hole Peg Test, and Brief Smell Identification Test) even after control for elevated anxiety and depressed mood. Non-NPSLE and control groups were not significantly different regarding either psychopathological symptoms or neuropsychological functioning. Conclusion. Verbal memory, psychomotor speed, and olfaction are particularly vulnerable to dysfunction in NPSLE; impairment in these neuropsychological domains is not completely explained by psychopathology symptoms.