The Anxiety and Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treating with Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: Anxiety and depression are associated with the risk of illness, presence of physical symptoms, and poor health in the COVID-19 epidemic. Our aim is to assess the severity of anxiety and depression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: The study is a longitudinal, hospital-based survey study including 102 RA patients receiving disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs with a mean of 55,2±11,9 years. Demographic data, educational status, marital status, employment status, economic status, patients with psychiatric disorders (with the use of prescribed medication for treatment), and medications were recorded. The severity of depression and anxiety were evaluated with the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory at the first and second visit of the follow-up during the pandemic period. Results: The mean Beck depression inventory score was found to be higher in the conventional synthetic DMARDs group than in biological DMARDs (12,1±8,2 vs 11,6±9,2, p=0,554). 46 (65,7%) had mild to severe anxiety symptoms in RA patients treated with conventional synthetic DMARDs, on the first visit. There was no significant difference in anxiety and depression status between the first and second visits. The difference in anxiety and depression symptoms between RA patients receiving conventional synthetic and biological DMARDs does not attain statistical significance. Also, no significant differences were found in anxiety and depression scores in the comparisons for gender, education, marital, working, and economic status. Conclusions: The severity of depression and anxiety were higher in RA patients receiving conventional synthetic DMARDs and biological DMARDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, RA patients are likely to experience anxiety and depression during the period of the pandemic.

Prevalence of Poor Sleep Quality and Associated Factors in Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Furthermore, impaired coping responses to pain, fatigue, and disability in patients with depression reduce physical exercise and social interaction, leading to poorer RA outcomes [ 16 ]. Although some studies found that features like marital status, gender, and socioeconomic level can cause mood disorders in RA, other reports failed to establish such associations [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. On the other hand, factors for optimal sleep for those with RA are a lower body mass index, better quality of life, treatment, and disease remission [ 14 , 20 , 21 ].…”