One hundred seventy women with SLE were evaluated consecutively in a cross-sectional study. Nutritional status was assessed by subjective global assessment and body mass index. Food intake was assessed by a 24-h recall and a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), considering P < 0.05 as significant.
The mean ¡À SD age of the patients was 39.14 ¡À 9.98 y, and the duration of the disease was 9.94 ¡À 6.18 y. Approximately 91.8 % patients were classified as being well nourished; 6.5 % were classified as suspected or moderately malnourished, and 1.8 % were classified as severely malnourished. In terms of body mass index, malnutrition was found in 1.2 % of the patients, normal weight in?35.9 % , overweight in 35.3 % , and obesity in 27.7 % . Most patients reported food consumption below the estimated needs for energy. Calcium was the nutrient with the most inadequate intake. Low consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products and a high consumption of oils and fats were reported.
The results showed that patients with SLE have inadequate nutritional status and food intake.