Photo Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen

The following is a summary of “Sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with negative illness perception in patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, or psoriatic arthritis—a survey-based cross-sectional study,” published in the April 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Lindgren et al.

Patients with Inflammatory arthritis (IA) benefit from acquiring self-management skills influenced by personal beliefs about their illness, known as illness perception. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study identifying the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with a negative illness perception among patients diagnosed with IA for ≤2 years. 

They utilized survey data from patients diagnosed for ≤2 years with IA. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) was used to measure illness perception, which was divided into two domains after psychometric testing: a control domain and a consequence domain. Logistic regression analyses with multiple imputations were conducted. 

The result showed 1,360 patients, 61% of whom were females. Among the patients, 64% were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, 20% with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 16% with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Younger patients with lower socioeconomic status, a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis or axial spondyloarthritis, high disease activity (OR 3.026, CI 2.208-4.147), severe physical disability (OR 4.147, CI 2..883-6.007), severe physical disability (OR 4.147. CI 2.883;6.007), severe pain (OR 3.034, CI 1.991;4.622), and severe fatigue (OR 2.612, CI 1.942;3.513) were more prone to reporting a negative illness perception.

Investigators concluded that younger patients with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics may require additional attention and support in rheumatology practices to help them develop self-management skills. 

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00296-024-05553-0