Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that influences a man’s joints, causing pain and disability. It can likewise influence internal organs. RA is more typical in older individuals, yet there is likewise a high pervasiveness in young adolescents and adults. It influences women more frequently than men. High rates of depression and tension have appeared in patients with RA.
The examination at EULAR included information from 848 patients and results demonstrated huge decreases in anxiety from 19.0% to 13.4% (p=0.004) and depression from 12.2% to 8.2% (p=0.01) a year after RA diagnosis, this was in accordance with observed diminish in disease activity. Both depression and anxiety scores showed a huge relationship with disease action scores (DAS28*) at baseline, a half year and at a year (p<0.0001). In addition, change in DAS28 (final baseline) additionally fundamentally connected with a change in both depression and anxiety scores at a half year and a year.
Scientists conducted statistical analysis to highlight potential associations between depression and anxiety scores and multiple variables at each time point.
When looking at anxiety scores, measurably critical affiliations were found with female gender, younger age, and patient global assessment score (PGA) at baseline. At a half year and a year, critical affiliation was exhibited between anxiety scores and low body mass index (BMI), PGA and baseline anxiety scores. When observing depression scores, huge affiliations were found with PGA at standard. At a half year and a year, depression score was fundamentally connected with PGA, c-r protein (CRP) levels and in addition gauge gloom and tension scores.
Professor Thomas Dörner, Chairperson of the Abstract Selection Committee, EULAR said, ” These results confirm both depression and anxiety as significant comorbidities at the time of rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. It is interesting to see the changes in anxiety and depression scores appear in tandem with disease activity over time, which requires further investigation.”
Dr. George Fragoulis, an honorary research fellow at the University of Glasgow said, “Our results demonstrate a number of interesting associations with socioeconomic and other variables. Most interestingly c-reactive protein, which is a blood test marker for inflammation, was highly associated with depression but not anxiety at all time points. This provides further support to compelling data linking inflammation and depression.”
The results of a study to be presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2018) suggest that rates of anxiety and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis correlate with measures of disease activity over the first year following diagnosis.