Exploring the role of Life Essential 8 in patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the distribution of the Life Essential 8 (LE8) score among adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explore its association with disease activity.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted to select adult patients with SLE and RA who were treated in the general department of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between May 2022 and September 2023. Through questionnaires, patients' diet, sleep, smoking habits, and daily exercise were evaluated. Additionally, blood glucose, blood lipids, inflammatory markers, and other relevant data were collected to assess the LE8 levels of the participants. The data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Both univariate and ordered multivariate logistic regression were employed to explore the distribution and influencing factors of the LE8 score among the patients.

RESULTS

A total of 43 adult cases of SLE and 55 RA cases were studied, encompassing 11 males and 87 females with a mean age of 49.12 ± 15.86 years. The LE8 score averaged at 68.82 ± 12.29; specifically, the LE8 behavior score was 60.91 ± 17.78, and the LE8 factor score was 77.05 ± 14.30. The disease activity scores of both conditions showed a negative correlation with LE8. As DAS28 (r =  - 0.96, P < 0.05) and SLEDAI (r =  - 0.807, P < 0.05) scores increased, the LE8 score decreased. A low SLEDAI score serves as a protective factor for LE8 (OR (95% CI) = 0.07 (0.01, 0.37), P = 0.02). Furthermore, among patients with RA (OR (95% CI) = 0.03 (0.00, 0.22), P = 0.001) and SLE (OR (95% CI) = 0.06 (0.01, 0.35), P = 0.002), individuals boasting higher LE8 scores exhibit a reduced 10-year cardiovascular risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients suffering from RA and SLE often exhibit low LE8 scores, reflecting a concerning cardiovascular health status-particularly in cases of high disease activity. Hence, it is imperative to prioritize the cardiovascular well-being of rheumatic patients. Key Points • Research has revealed that individuals suffering from RA and SLE exhibit lower LE8 scores, potentially attributed to alterations in disease activity • In this study, no statistically significant associations were discerned between inflammatory markers and LE8 scores among patients with RA and SLE. Nevertheless, among SLE patients specifically, a notable correlation was observed between ds-DNA levels and LE8 factor scores. • Enhancing the compliance rate for the LE8 target among patients with RA and SLE could potentially mitigate the cardiovascular risk associated with these conditions.