PHYSICAL-DISABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN RECENT-ONSET RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

Objective. The association between self-report physical disability sco res and psychological well being in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been described in several recent publications on patients wi th widely varying disease durations. We describe the results of a stud y into these relationships in patients with RA with a disease duration of less than 1 year. Methods. In this cross sectional study on 113 pa tients with recent onset RA disability was assessed with 3 self-report indices and with measurement of grip strength. Correlation coefficien ts between disability measures and disease activity measures (joint te nderness/swelling score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR)]), psych ological well being (cheerful mood, depressive mood, and anxiety), and demographical variables were calculated; hierarchical regression anal ysis was done with disability measures as the dependent variables. Res ults. All disability scales were correlated moderately strongly with t he joint score and ESR, and with psychological well being. No relation was found with age, sex, marital status, or rheumatoid factor status. Regression analysis showed the variance of 9-15 % in disability could be explained by psychological well being after disease activity had b een controlled for. Conclusion. Patients with recent onset RA appear n ot to be obviously different with respect to the moderately strong ass ociation between physical disability and psychological well being from patients with RA of longer duration in other published reports.