Outcome clusters and their stability over 1 year in patients with SLE: self-reported and performance-based cognitive function, disease activity, mood and health-related quality of life.

Three distinct clusters of symptom intensity were documented in patients with SLE in association with cognitive function. There was a lower tendency for patients in the mild and severe clusters to move but not moderate cluster over the course of a year. This may demonstrate an opportunity for intervention to have moderate cluster patients move to mild cluster instead of moving to severe cluster. Further studies are necessary to assess factors that affect movement into moderate cluster.