Depression stands out as an important health issue. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disorder with possible involvement of each body organ and system.

to determine prevalence and level of depression and its relationship with autoantibody titers, individual, environmental, laboratory and lifestyle parameters in SLE-patients

to evaluate the causes or effects of depression in SLE-patients.

50 variables containing sociodemographics, health-related habits, depression, serum molecules and blood parameters were evaluated in SLE-patients and healthy controls.

Although no significant differences for 4 sociodemographic and 18 health-related lifestyle parameters were found between patients and controls but depression score and its prevalence in SLE-patients was higher. SLE-patients had higher depression score than controls. 94.12% of SLE-patients had no or mild depression, while the rest had mild-moderate or moderate depression. Furthermore, more depressed SLE-patients had higher level of autoantibodies. Between lupus-related-parameters such as autoantibodies, complement level and other hematological parameters, only the correlation of antinuclear-antibody (ANA) titer and depression score remained significant after controlling for variables. Interestingly, depression score was inversely correlated with the level of soluble-leptin-receptor (sLeptinR) and soluble-glyeoprotein-130 (sgp130) after controlling for variables in SLE-patients. Depression of SLE-patients had a direct association with alcohol, cigarette and hookah consumption.

Depression score and its prevalence are higher in SLE-patients than controls. These depression levels are correlated with ANA or some habits like hookah smoking in patient group. Inverse association between depression and some soluble molecules like sgp130 or sLeptinR in SLE-patients also remained to be elucidated.