Assessment of health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis

Aim of the work: To assess the effect of clinical manifestations, disease activity and medications on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients and methods: Twenty-six early RA patients (mean age 43.31. ±. 10.51. years, disease duration: 16.5. ±. 5.2. months) diagnosed according to the 2010 RA classification criteria were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Sohag University, and 22 age and sex matched healthy persons participated in a case control study. Demographic data were taken from all participants in the study. The 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) were assessed as measures of HRQoL and psychiatric comorbidity for both patients and controls. Disease activity in RA was assessed using the disease activity score (DAS28). Scoring algorithms were applied to produce the physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS). Results: There was statistically significant difference in the total SF36 score, anxiety and depression scores of HAM-A scale between patients and controls. The PCS showed the highest significant difference (p<. 0.0001), followed by SF36 (p= 0.01) and MCS (p= 0.024). There were no significant differences according to the age, gender, occupation or level of education of the patients. Anxiety and depression scores significantly correlated with the bodily pain and DAS28 scores and inversely with the PCS and MCS. The DAS28 strongly negatively correlated with the PCS and MCS. Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis has a major impact on many areas of an individual's life and tends to have a profound impact on the health-related quality of life. © 2014.