Impact of psychological factors on subjective disease activity assessments in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), used to assess disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is a composite score comprising clinical, biochemical, and patient self-report measures. We hypothesized that psychological factors (cognitions and mood) would be more strongly associated with patient-reported components of the DAS28 than clinical or biochemical components.

Methods

A cross-sectional, observational study of 322 RA patients with active disease (mean DAS28 6.0) awaiting therapy with a biologic agent was undertaken. Patients' illness beliefs, treatment beliefs, and mood were measured using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), res

SUBMITTER: Cordingley L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4153952 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature