Kuo-Tung Tang1, Chia-Wei Hsieh2, Tsu-Yi Hsieh1, Joung-Liang Lan3, Yi-Hsing Chen2, Der-Yuan Chen4. 1. Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (K-TT, C-WH, T-YH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC). 2. Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (K-TT, C-WH, T-YH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC); School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC (C-WH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC). 3. Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (K-TT, C-WH, T-YH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC); School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC (C-WH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC); Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (J-LL); ?>College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (J-LL). 4. Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (K-TT, C-WH, T-YH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC); School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC (C-WH, J-LL, Y-HC, D-YC); Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (D-YC); Institute of Biomedical Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC (D-YC). Electronic address: dychen@vghtc.gov.tw.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Suicide is a global health issue, and an increase in suicide risk has been found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) when compared with the general population. However, only a few studies have described suicide attempts in patients with SLE in detail. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the suicide attempts in patients with SLE in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 8 patients with SLE, 7 women and 1 man, with 12 suicide attempts among them were identified among 2469 patients visiting a tertiary medical center in Taiwan, from March 1, 2003 to November 30, 2013. Their demographic data, lupus manifestations throughout their disease course, laboratory data, and details of their suicide attempts were retrospectively documented. We also searched the MEDLINE database and found 4 articles in English describing suicide attempts in 14 patients with SLE. RESULTS: The median age of the 8 patients with SLE in our hospital who attempted suicide was 33 years (range: 19-77 years). Neuropsychiatric SLE developed in 5 (63%) of these patients before the attempts, and psychiatric disorders were diagnosed in 5 (63%) of them. We also observed a high prevalence of neuropsychiatric SLE (71%) and psychiatric disorders (86%) in patients with SLE in the literature who had attempted suicide. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that previous neuropsychiatric SLE and comorbid psychiatric disorders are prevalent in patients with SLE who attempt suicide. If a rheumatologist suspects that a patient with SLE has a psychiatric disorder, he or she should refer the patient to a psychiatrist.
BACKGROUND: Suicide is a global health issue, and an increase in suicide risk has been found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) when compared with the general population. However, only a few studies have described suicide attempts in patients with SLE in detail. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the suicide attempts in patients with SLE in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 8 patients with SLE, 7 women and 1 man, with 12 suicide attempts among them were identified among 2469 patients visiting a tertiary medical center in Taiwan, from March 1, 2003 to November 30, 2013. Their demographic data, lupus manifestations throughout their disease course, laboratory data, and details of their suicide attempts were retrospectively documented. We also searched the MEDLINE database and found 4 articles in English describing suicide attempts in 14 patients with SLE. RESULTS: The median age of the 8 patients with SLE in our hospital who attempted suicide was 33 years (range: 19-77 years). Neuropsychiatric SLE developed in 5 (63%) of these patients before the attempts, and psychiatric disorders were diagnosed in 5 (63%) of them. We also observed a high prevalence of neuropsychiatric SLE (71%) and psychiatric disorders (86%) in patients with SLE in the literature who had attempted suicide. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that previous neuropsychiatric SLE and comorbid psychiatric disorders are prevalent in patients with SLE who attempt suicide. If a rheumatologist suspects that a patient with SLE has a psychiatric disorder, he or she should refer the patient to a psychiatrist.
Authors: Piyush Kumar; Abhishek Kumar; Vikram Thakur; Chandra B Sharma; Aneesha Thomas; Subhankar Chatterjee Journal: J Family Med Prim Care Date: 2021-02-27