Assessment of impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in Europe: results from the REUMAVID study (phase 1)

Abstract

AimTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).MethodsREUMAVID is a cross-sectional study using an online survey developed by an international multidisciplinary patient-led collaboration across seven European countries targeting unselected patients with RMDs. Healthcare access, daily activities, disease activity and function, well-being (WHO Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)), health status, anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)) and access to information were evaluated. Data were collected in April–July 2020 (first phase).ResultsData from the first phase included 1800 patients with 15 different RMDs (37.2% axial spondyloarthritis, 29.2% rheumatoid arthritis, 17.2% osteoarthritis and others). Mean age was 53, 80% female and 49% had undertaken university studies. During the beginning of the pandemic, 58.4% had their rheumatology appointment cancelled and 45.6% reported not having received any information relating to the possible impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in their RMDs, with the main source being patient organisations (27.6%).Regarding habits, 24.6% increased smoking, 18.2% raised their alcohol consumption, and 45.6% were unable to continue exercising. Self-reported disease activity was high (5.3±2.7) and 75.6% reported elevated pain. Half the patients (49.0%) reported poor well-being (WHO-5) and 46.6% that their health had changed for the worse during lockdown. According to HADS, 57.3% were at risk of anxiety and 45.9% of depression.ConclusionThroughout the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with RMDs have experienced disruption in access to healthcare services, poor lifestyle habits and negative effects on their overall health, well-being and mental health. Furthermore, information on COVID-19 has not reached patients appropriately.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic social restriction measures on people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in the UK: a mixed-methods study

“…Recently, Persiani et al 23 and Garrido-Cumbrera et al 24 reported their findings of the impact of the first COVID-19 pandemic ‘lockdown’ in with people with RMDs. These findings reflect those of our UK cohort, which illustrated a reduction in physical activity and increase in pain, particularly among people aged 50–70 years and in work.…”

“… 23 and poor lifestyle habits negatively impacting on overall physical and mental health. 24 These findings may be attributed to a disruption in their normal working patterns, changes in their home environment and loss of social networks. Our qualitative interviews indicated that the enforced COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions led to stressful changes in working routine, the addition of extra roles within the home (eg, through home schooling) and deleterious workstation ergonomics due to lack of space and equipment.…”

Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis: Have Numbers Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

“…Although resident rheumatologists and hospitals had taken quick action to refine sanitation and hygiene protocols to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection risk for staff and patients as far as possible, many routine consultations had to be canceled and postponed. Similar and even more severe disruptive changes in rheumatology care were reported among patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in the United States and other European countries (7,8). In a corresponding qualitative analysis of reported perceptions given by patients referring to the pandemic, the following key themes were identified: emotions in response to the pandemic, perceptions of risks from immunosuppressive medications, protective measures to reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and disruptions in accessing rheumatic disease medications (7).…”

Sociodemographic differences in patient experience with virtual care during COVID-19

“…Despite this, very little literature to date is available on patient experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these differ by sociodemographic characteristics. Most existing studies on patient experience during COVID-19 are from acute care, and do not stratify experience based on patient demographics [17][18][19][20][21] .…”