Pos0109 Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Impact on Survival Rates of Psychiatric Comorbidities in Systemic Sclerosis Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a persistent and incapacitating connective tissue ailment that imposes substantial psychological challenges on individuals. There were few studies with relatively small sample sizes noted a higher risk of psychiatric disorders in SSc patients. Objectives: This study analyzed the nationwide database in Taiwan to investigate the epidemiology of psychiatric comorbidities and their impact on survival in patients with SSc. Methods: This study enrolled patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (SSc) from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). These SSc patients were matched with non-SSc controls in a 1:4 ratio based on age and gender. Our study involved a comparison of the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for new psychiatric disorder diagnoses between the SSc group and the control group. Additionally, a Cox multivariate proportional hazards model was applied to scrutinize the risk factors associated with the development of psychiatric disorders in SSc patients, and the survival was compared between SSc patients with and without psychiatric diseases. Results: This study recruited a total of 16,350 participants, consisting of 3,270 patients diagnosed with SSc and 13,080 age- and sex-matched non-SSc controls. SSc patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of psychiatric comorbidities compared to the control group (IRR=1.66, p < 0.001). Within the SSc cohort, the use of oral daily steroid doses ≥ 7.5mg (HR=1.71, p=0.010), intravenous steroid pulse therapy (HR=2.34, p<0.0042), and D-penicillamine (HR=1.60, p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for psychiatric comorbidities (Table 1). Furthermore, SSc patients with psychiatric comorbidities demonstrated significantly lower survival rates compared to those without (Figure 1). Conclusion: Individuals diagnosed with SSc had an significantly higer risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities, which, in turn, can adversely affect their survival rates. The identified risk factors for psychiatric comorbidities in SSc included the use of a daily oral steroid dose equal to or exceeding 7.5mg, undergoing steroid pulse therapy, and the administration of D-penicillamine. REFERENCES: NIL. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.