Pragmatic language refers to the social language skills necessary for daily interactions. It includes what is said, how it is said, non-verbal communication and the use of interactions that are appropriate in a given situation. Very few researchers have investigated whether deficits in pragmatic language or other language deficits are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or other systemic autoimmune diseases.

A group of 40 people with lupus was compared to healthy individuals. Those with lupus exhibited notable pragmatic dysfunction in the areas of humor (52.5%), inference (40%) and figurative metaphors (50%). Additionally, global cognitive function was mildly impaired in 25% and challenges in areas such as memory, attention and executive and visuospatial functions were observed to a lesser extent.

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