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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune, multisystem rheumatic disease with significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) provide valuable data on patient perceptions across a variety of domains, such as HRQoL, pain, fatigue, and depression. The measurement and results of PROs with respect to HRQoL in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on belimumab (B-lymphocyte stimulator inhibitor) in SLE are reviewed here, including BLISS-52 and BLISS-76, as well as publications related to belimumab trials that included HRQoL data. Other trials that evaluated belimumab did not include HRQoL data and were therefore not included in the analysis. The BLISS-52 and BLISS-76 RCTs met their primary endpoints and demonstrated improvements in PROs, measured by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, EuroQol 5 Dimensions, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale. Belimumab was shown overall to improve PROs in adult autoantibody-positive lupus patients.

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ObjectiveWe evaluated the epidemiology, manifestations, serology, comorbidities, and survival among systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with and without sarcoidosis.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing SSc patients with and without sarcoidosis. All patients fulfilled the ACR-EULAR classification criteria for SSc. Sarcoidosis was based on physician diagnosis and/or confirmatory biopsy. The primary outcome was time from diagnosis to all-cause mortality. Survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves.ResultsWe included 1977 patients (1971 SSc, 6 SSc-sarcoidosis) with a SSc-sarcoidosis prevalence of 0.30%. Sarcoidosis frequently preceded SSc (66.66%). The most frequent sarcoidosis manifestations were pulmonary (66.66%), lymphadenopathy (66.66%), arthritis (50.00%), cutaneous (33.33%), and hepatic (16.66%). SSc and SSc-sarcoidosis patients had female:male sex ratios of 4.5:1 versus 5:1 and median ages of SSc onset of 48.3 versus 43.8 years. Interstitial lung disease (35.00% versus 66.66%) and pulmonary hypertension (24.91% versus 50.00%) tended to occur more frequently while abnormal nailfold capillaries (34.70% versus 16.66%) and digital ulcers (33.33% versus 16.66%) tended to occur less frequently among SSc-sarcoidosis patients, but the differences were not significant. There was an increased frequency of stroke among the SSc-sarcoidosis patients (relative risk 8.59 (95%CI 1.02-72.0)). The median survival times were 23.4 years for SSc-sarcoidosis and 18.6 years for SSc, with no differences in survival curves, log-rank test 0.55.ConclusionSarcoidosis in SSc is rare but appears to occur more frequently than the general population. It is associated with pulmonary, lymph node, cutaneous, joint and hepatic involvement. Stroke occurs more frequently in SSc-sarcoidosis patients but with no differences in survival.