Alexithymia in ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to determine the effect of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) on alexithymia. Patients and methods: In this study, a total of 55 AS patients (30 males, 25 females; mean age: 40±8 years; range, 21 to 57 years) who were under follow-up and 55 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (31 males, 24 females; mean age: 38.9±8.5 years; range, 21 to 53 years) were included between March 2016 and August 2016. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were performed to assess both patient and control groups. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) were performed to assess AS patients. Results: The mean diagnosis time in the patient group was 5.18±4.32 (range, 1 to 18) years. Compared to the control group, depression scores were higher in the patient group and the alexithymic characteristics were significantly higher in the patient group (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between complaint duration and BASMI, BASFI, and ASQoL scores (p<0.01). In our study, alexithymia rate was significantly higher in women (p<0.05). Conclusion: As in all inflammatory chronic diseases, depression and anxiety are commonly seen in AS patients. Alexithymia of these patients should be considered carefully.

The influence of alexithymia on disease activity and quality of life in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: A cross‐sectional study

“…Another study on AS patients reported that AS patients had a higher rate of alexithymia than controls, and alexithymia was more common in women than in men. They also stated a weak correlation between the disease activity scale BASDAI and the DIF subscale 17 . In our study, being female was associated with a 22 times increased risk of alexithymia compared with males in the multivariable analysis.…”

“…In addition, old age, low education level, male gender, and low socioeconomic conditions are reported as being associated with an increase in alexithymia 15 . Importantly, alexithymia and other psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, and impulsivity, are remarkably widespread in axSpA patients and may negatively influence their quality of life and lower compliance with treatment 11,16–18 . Coexisting pain, alexithymia, depression, and inflammation were investigated in patients with chronic pain conditions, including temporomandibular joint disorders, chronic migraine, complex regional pain syndrome, and low back pain, as well as rheumatic diseases 19,20 …”

“…Alexithymia was initially observed in individuals with somatic disorders 13 and has been reported to accompany some rheumatic diseases, such as AS, 17,18 inflammatory bowel disease, 21 fibromyalgia, 22 rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis 20,23,24 . In addition, one concern is that alexithymia, which is a deficiency in the proper regulation of emotions, may lead patients to mistakenly evaluate their emotions as a symptom of illness, which could lead to more hospital admissions and unnecessary treatment 19 …”

“…15 Importantly, alexithymia and other psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, and impulsivity, are remarkably widespread in axSpA patients and may negatively influence their quality of life and lower compliance with treatment. 11,[16][17][18] Coexisting pain, alexithymia, depression, and inflammation were investigated in patients with chronic pain conditions, including temporomandibular joint disorders, chronic migraine, complex regional pain syndrome, and low back pain, as well as rheumatic diseases. 19,20 Alexithymia was initially observed in individuals with somatic disorders 13 and has been reported to accompany some rheumatic diseases, such as AS, 17,18 inflammatory bowel disease, 21 fibromyalgia, 22 rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.…”

Neuro-Inflammaging and Psychopathological Distress

“…Another relevant factor that has been shown to negatively influence the extent of depressive symptoms and which seems to share the inflammatory pattern and the correlation with various chronic inflammatory diseases, is represented by alexithymia, the difficulty in identifying, recognizing, distinguish, and express the own and others feelings [ 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. Similarly, with specific regard to alexithymia, recent studies highlighted a pathogenetic correlation with specific inflammatory markers such as TNF-α and IL-6 exists [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 65 , 66 , 67 ].…”