Prevalence of cognitive impairment and cognitive improvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus during a 6-month follow-up study

Objectives The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a simple and reliable screening tool for early detection for cognitive impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Most previous studies were cross-sectional with small samples. Research on long-term cognitive changes and reversibility is limited. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of cognitive impairment and changes in SLE patients after 6 months and the associated factors. Methods A prospective study was conducted in 200 patients with SLE between April 2021 and March 2022. Demographic data, disease activity, and medications were recorded. MoCA was administered at baseline and 6 months; for Thais, scores 17–24 indicate mild cognitive impairment, while ≤16 signifies severe impairment. Multivariate analysis identified factors associated with cognitive impairment and improvement. Results The patients’ median age was 44 years (range: 19–73), 96% were female, and 55% had < 12 years of education. The median disease duration was 11 years (range: 0–51.8), and 79% of patients had inactive disease. Cognitive impairment was found in 70% of patients (mild, 63%; severe, 7%). The most often affected domains were delayed recall (82%), abstraction (80.5%), language (76%) and visuospatial/executive function (70.5%), whereas orientation and naming were the least involved. Factors significantly associated with cognitive impairment were age > 40 years (OR, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.72–8.00), formal education < 12 years (OR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.45–6.63), and prednisolone use (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.08–4.51). Sixty-six (38.2%) of 173 patients completing the 6-month re-evaluation exhibited cognitive changes (52 [30.1%] improved; 14 [8.1%] deteriorated). Except for delayed recall, all commonly affected domains showed significant improvement. Disease activity, prednisolone, antimalarials, or immunosuppressant use did not predict cognitive improvement. Conclusions Mild cognitive impairment is prevalent among patients with SLE. Due to the possibility of reversibility, early recognition and additional research to identify relevant factors are required.