Transitioning Young Lupus Patients to Adult Care
Author Information
Author(s): ŞENER Seher, YARDIMCI Gözde Kübra, BATU Ezgi Deniz, KILIÇ Levent, AKÇA Ümmüşen Kaya, CÜCEOĞLU Müşerref Kasap, BALIK Zeynep, BAŞARAN Özge, BİLGİNER Yelda, APRAŞ BİLGEN Şule, ÖZEN Seza
Primary Institution: Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkiye
Hypothesis
The study aimed to assess the outcomes of transitioning patients with juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus from pediatric to adult-oriented care.
Conclusion
Patients with juvenile-onset SLE experienced more symptoms, lower medication compliance, and higher rates of emergency visits after transitioning to adult care.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients had more constitutional symptoms in adult care (p = 0.039).
- Medication adherence was lower in the posttransition period (p = 0.003).
- Emergency department visits increased after the transition (p = 0.009).
- More patients missed appointments in adult care compared to pediatric care (p = 0.002).
Takeaway
When kids with lupus grow up and switch to adult doctors, they often feel worse and forget to take their medicine more often.
Methodology
Patients were included in a prospective single-center study with face-to-face transition meetings between pediatric and adult rheumatologists.
Limitations
Some patients were evaluated by different adult rheumatologists, and the study population may not represent the general population.
Participant Demographics
The cohort consisted of 65 patients with a female/male ratio of 7.1, with most having a university education and health insurance.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.003
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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