MONDAY, Nov. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with moderate and extreme anxiety/depression have mean health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) losses, regardless of pain and discomfort, according to a study published online Oct. 30 in Clinical Rheumatology.
Diego Fernando Rojas‑Gualdrón, from the Universidad CES in Medellín, Colombia, and colleagues conducted a data analysis on a registry-based retrospective follow-up study of patients with seropositive RA treated between August 2014 and January 2023. The authors sought to examine the HRQoL loss associated with self-perceived anxiety/depression. A total of 3,579 patients were included, with a mean follow-up of 2.9 years.
The researchers found that 6.6 percent of the participants reported extreme anxiety/depression at program admission. Per year lived with seropositive RA, the average HRQoL loss was 3.4 months. Moderate and extreme anxiety/depression were associated with mean HRQoL losses of 2.2 and 4.1 months, respectively, among patients with no pain and discomfort, and with losses of 0.8 and 1.9 months, respectively, for patients with extreme pain/discomfort.
"These findings highlight the importance of strengthening mental health care and psychological well-being interventions for patients with RA, regardless of pain or disease activity," the authors write.
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