HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN YOUNG ADULT AFFECTED BY RHEUMATIC DISEASE MEASURED BY THE SHORT FORM 36 (SF-36) COMPARABLE TO HEALTH CONTROL

Background: Four years ago at Rheumatologic clinic in Florence was created an outpatient clinic for young adults affected by rheumatologic disease begun in the paediatric age. The aim of the clinic is to follow the patients during their "transitional" period. Objectives: To Evaluate young adults QOL by SF-36 and to compare it with a group of health. Methods: SF-36 was administered to 50 young adults (32 female, 18 male; mean age 21,8±4,3), and to 50 controls, comparable for age and sex to our samples. 30% of our patients were affected by Rheumatoid arthritis, 25% by systemic lupus erithematosus, 15% by spondiloarthropatis, 10% by Dermatomiositis, 5% by Systemic sclerosis. Results were analyzed by t-Test. Results: The physical activity score was significantly lower in patients than in controls (p<0,02), like for the bodily pain (p<0,01) and general health perceptions (p<0,006). Vitality score was near to be significant (p=0,054). Instead the other score (social functioning, emotivity, mental summary, physical functioning) didn't prove significant differences.Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that leaver a physical activity, due to pain and functional limitation, reduced the vitality of these patients. The emotivity, social functioning and the mental summary are not compromised