For patients with RA, higher pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms are associated with increased odds of being in the high disability trajectory, regardless of inflammation level, according to a study published in Rheumatology. James M. Gwinnutt, PhD, and colleagues used data from three European prospective cohort studies of 2,500 patients with RA to examine groups with different disability trajectories for more than 10 years, despite comparable levels of inflammation. Within each of the three cohorts, two pairs of trajectories followed the hypothesized pattern, with different disability as assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), but comparable disease activity scores. The odds of being in the high HAQ trajectories were increased in association with higher pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms. “This indicates an urgent need to address pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms for people with RA, in order to curtail long-term disability,” the study authors wrote.

Author