Quality of Life Assessment and Its Relationship with Fatigue Symptom, Demographic and Clinical Factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis Polish Patients

Abstract

The variety of clinical symptoms occurring during rheumatoid arthritis may reduce patients’ quality of life. Hence, the study aimed to assess RA patients’ quality of life and determine its relationship with fatigue, demographic and clinical factors. The study group consisted of 128 RA patients diagnosed according to ACR/EULAR criteria and treated in rheumatology departments. The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales-2 (AIMS-2) scale was used to assess the quality of life. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue Scale was used to assess the symptom of fatigue. The analyzed variables were sex, age, pharmacological treatment, arthritis pain, morning stiffness, hemoglobin, CRP, rheumatoid factor, Ritchie Articular Index, and DAS28 disease activity. In the AIMS-2 scale, the patients had the lowest quality of life in the following subscales: arthritis pain (average 6.25±2.52 points), walking and bending (average 5.63±2.71 points), and emotional tension (average 4.99±1.92 points); while patients presented the highest quality of life for the following subscales: support from family and friends (average 1.39±2.21 points) and self-care (average 2.11±2.45 points). There was a correlation between the level of quality of life and age (r=0.24), morning stiffness (r=0.45), CRP concentration (r=0.29), joint tenderness (r=0.34), and disease activity (r=0.39). Increasing the values of parameters such as arthritis pain, disease activity, morning stiffness, and CRP level may cause a decrease in the level of quality of life. Assessment of the quality of life should be a permanent element of assessing patients with RA.