High Disease Activity May Increase Fear-Avoidance Beliefs in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Objectives:This study aims to compare fear-avoidance (FA) beliefs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of hand patients and fibromyalgia (FM) patients and evaluate its relationship with RA activity and duration. Patients and methods:The study included 206 patients with RA (34 males, 172 females; mean age 49 years; range 20 to 72 years), 57 patients with FM (57 females; mean age 48 years; range 20 to 71 years), and 50 patients with OA of hand (4 males, 46 females; mean age 43 years; range 43 to 77 years). FA beliefs were assessed with modified Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (mFABQ). RA patients were dichotomized according to disease activity and disease duration separately; cutoff values were disease activity score 28 of 3.2 and six months of disease activity, respectively. Results: Modified Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire scores were similar in patients with RA, OA of hand, and FM. RA patients in non-remission group had higher mFABQ scores. Moreover, mFABQ scores were similar in RA patients with early and established disease groups. Conclusion: Fear-avoidance beliefs of patients with RA were similar with OA of hand patients and FM patients. However, higher disease activity in RA was related with escalated FA beliefs. Further studies focusing on pathophysiology of FA beliefs in patients with RA are warranted for effective pain management of RA.

The relationship between fibromyalgia and depression, anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, fear avoidance beliefs, and quality of life in female patients

“…FABQ is created by Waddel et al [ 5 ] on activity-induced fear and avoidance behavior on low back pain and chronic disability and was then tested in terms of different pain syndromes. Tezcan et al [ 19 ] thought that exaggerated cognitive pain response caused fear and anxiety in patients and this would have reflections on behavior. With this prediction, they obtained similar results in their research in which they evaluated whether there was a difference between different chronic pain syndromes such as rheumatoid arthritis, hand osteoarthritis, and FM.…”

Comparison of Exercise-Physical Activity Consciousness and Fear Avoidance Beliefs in Inflammatory Rheumatological Diseases

“…In AS and RA, the most common symptom is chronic pain. It is thought that chronic pain in the musculoskeletal system creates a feeling of fear and avoidance in some individuals (3,4,5). Although there are studies indicating that both AS and RA patients experience fear of movement separately, there is a need for studies examining factors such as disease activity and exercise consciousness level.…”