TY - JOUR T1 - Why Do Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Suffer Pain? JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1195 LP - 1197 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.210057 VL - 48 IS - 8 AU - Anisur Rahman Y1 - 2021/08/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/48/8/1195.abstract N2 - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 1000.1 It occurs 9 times more commonly in women than men and is more common in some ethnic groups, notably in people of African/Caribbean ethnicity. SLE can affect any organ or tissue in the body and patients therefore suffer a wide range of symptoms. However, pain is one of the most frequent and most troublesome symptoms in patients with this disease.2 To some extent, pain in SLE can be ascribed to localized inflammation of particular organs, for example, joint inflammation, pleurisy, or pericarditis. Much of the pain in patients with SLE, however, is more generalized than this. That type of chronic generalized pain is less likely to respond to immunosuppressive treatment targeted to inflammation of specific organs.In fact, chronic pain is a societal problem. Multiple studies in different countries have shown that the prevalence of chronic pain (often defined as being pain every day for at least 3 months) is as high as 30%,3,4 whereas chronic widespread pain (both sides of the body, above and below the waist, and in the spine) is found in 10–11% of the population.3,4,5 Studies have shown that psychological and social factors play a key role in both onset6 and persistence of chronic pain7 in the population. This leads to the biopsychosocial model of pain, implying that addressing the biological and physical causes of pain alone will be insufficient to control this symptom and its deleterious effects on … Address correspondence to Dr. A. Rahman, Centre for Rheumatology Research, Room 412, Rayne Building, 5 University Street, London WC1E 6JF, UK. Email: anisur.rahman{at}ucl.ac.uk. ER -