The team that integrates the SLE-CORIOLIS project , led by Daniel Guimarães de Oliveira , clinician and researcher at the Institute of Research and Innovation in Health at the University of Porto (i3S) and at the Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Unit at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences ( ICBAS) , recently won the Research Grant in Internal Medicine ( EIMI Award) , worth ten thousand euros. The award was presented at the 30th National Congress / 9th Iberian Congress of Internal Medicine and researchers will now have the opportunity to explore the factors that determine the health-related quality of life of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) .SLE is a chronic and very heterogeneous autoimmune disease. From a clinical point of view, it has been approached taking into account the most obvious symptoms, such as skin lesions, changes in analysis, joint pain, etc.However, explains Daniel Guimarães de Oliveira, who is an Internal Medicine specialist at the Autoimmune Diseases Unit of the Tâmega e Sousa Local Health Unit, “patients have been telling us for a long time that this is insufficient. Indeed, the quality of life of patients with SLE is reduced in relation to the general population and it seems essential to value this perspective of patients and promote doctor-patient communication”.
As a researcher in the «Immunobiology» group at i3S, Daniel Guimarães de Oliveira has sought to characterize the health determinants of this population. “The question we asked, and we intend to start answering with this project, is how much of the quality of life is affected by the inflammatory component of the disease, what is its presence over time and what impact this has on the health and lives of patients. The objective is always to do work with practical benefit, that is, we signal to patients that we have listened to their concerns and want to contribute to change,” he says.
This project, highlights the clinician and researcher, is the result of a joint initiative between two clinical services – the Autoimmune Diseases Unit (UDAI) of the Internal Medicine Service of the Tâmega e Sousa Local Health Unit and the Autoimmune Diseases Consultation of the Medicine Service Intern at the Local Health Unit Entre Douro-e-Vouga (Rita Quelhas Costa) – and a research unit, i3S (Elva Bonifácio Andrade, Inês Lorga and Nuno Ribeiro). In other words, he emphasizes, “it has the advantage of promoting a synergy of efforts and bringing clinical and academic services closer together”.
Daniel Guimarães de Oliveira, who received the Nuno Grande PhD Scholarship last year , worth 25 thousand euros, also highlights the fact that this project evaluates patients from non-university hospitals: “Most of the scientific information, and therefore the characterization of patients , comes from large urban centers and, from the perspective of the quality of life of these patients, this is reducing, so we are also very happy for the opportunity given to us to carry out this study in our centers”.
Being distinguished with this award, confesses the researcher, “is, obviously, a source of great pride, but it is also validation of the effort we have made to bring research and clinical practice closer together, as well as an inspiration for future projects. I want it to signal our willingness to deepen this work and our openness to collaborations with anyone who is interested in these themes.”
Daniel Guimarães de Oliveira also makes a point of thanking “all the patients, family members and support networks who motivated and informed this project. They move us, through their example in everyday life, to imagine challenges and potential in what would be, without their inspiration, disarming obstacles».
Source: https://noticias.up.pt/2024/06/20/investigador-da-u-porto-vai-estudar-a-qualidade-de-vida-de-doentes-com-lupus/