Comparison and potential determinants of health-related quality of life among rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis: A cross-sectional study

Branko Ristic; Antonio Carletto; Elena Fracassi; Giulio Pacenza; Giulia Zanetti; Francesca Pistillo; Doriana Cristofalo; Riccardo Bixio; Chiara Bonetto; Sarah Tosato

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111512

Comparison and potential determinants of health-related quality of life among rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis: A cross-sectional study

J Psychosom Res. 2023 Dec:175:111512. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111512. Epub 2023 Oct 9.

Affiliations

¹ Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona; Verona, Italy.
² Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
³ Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona; Verona, Italy. Electronic address: sarah.tosato@univr.it.

PMID: 37844390
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111512

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the health-related quality of life scores among rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis and to evaluate socio-demographic and clinical determinantes of quality of life across diseases.

Methods: The sample comprised 490 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 198 with psoriatic arthritis, and 119 with spondyloarthritis who completed a series of health examinations and self-reported questionnaires. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, disease activity by DAS28-CRP, DAPSA, and ASDAS-CRP (for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritis, respectively), depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. ANOVA was used to compare the quality of life dimensions and their physical and mental summary measures among rheumatic diseases, and multivariate analysis was used to explore their potential determinants.

Results: Rheumatoid arthritis had significantly worse scores than spondyloarthritis in the following dimensions: physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health, physical component score, and mental health. Psoriatic arthritis was not significantly different from the other two diseases. Multivariate analysis revealed that physical quality of life was mainly associated with disease activity across rheumatic diseases, rheumatological treatment and depression in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Mental quality of life is primarily associated with depression and anxiety across rheumatic diseases.

Conclusion: There were differences in quality of life among patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, but overall, approximately uniform factors explained the variance in quality of life across diseases. Clinicians should develop general approaches and strategies for inflammatory rheumatic diseases to improve patients' quality of life.

Keywords: Disease activity; Health-related quality of life; Inflammatory rheumatic diseases; Psoriatic arthritis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Spondyloarthritis.

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Psoriatic* / drug therapy
Arthritis, Psoriatic* / psychology
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* / psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Quality of Life
Spondylarthritis* / drug therapy