Health outcomes and unmet needs in patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis attending tertiary care in Greece: a cohort study.
Health Qual Life Outcomes
; 17(1): 73, 2019 Apr 29.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31036012
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
No previous studies have characterized a patient's experience of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management in Greece and unmet needs may exist despite a broad range of available treatments. Therefore, we assessed quality of life (QoL), functional ability, and healthcare resource utilization in patients with established RA and receiving treatment in a tertiary care setting in Greece.METHODS:
This was a prospective, observational cohort of patients aged ≥18 years, receiving any type of treatment for RA, and followed for 12 months at 7 rheumatology referral centers across mainland Greece (NCT01001182). Patient data were collected at the initial visit and 3, 6, and 9 months. QoL was evaluated using the Euro Quality of Life-5 dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) and functional ability was evaluated using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ).RESULTS:
A total of 210 patients with RA were enrolled (76.7% women, mean ± standard deviation [SD] age 59.1 ± 12.6 years, median [interquartile range] disease duration 11.9 [5.0-16.0] years). Baseline mean ± SD EQ-5D and HAQ scores were 0.57 ± 0.32 and 0.75 ± 0.63, respectively, and remained largely unchanged throughout the study. Post-hoc comparison showed that patients receiving non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (non-bDMARDs) had significantly higher EQ-5D and lower HAQ-DI scores compared with those receiving biologic DMARDs. A majority of patients reported having difficulty doing housework or other duties (61.4 and 61.9%, respectively), and 55.2% reported needing external support for these tasks. Positive correlation was observed between QoL and functional ability. Hospitalization at least once during the study occurred in 9.5% of the patients, and 12.5% of these cases were due to exacerbation of RA. At baseline, 52.4% of the patients were retired, with 38.5% of retirees having retired early due to RA. Among the patients who were retired at baseline, the mean ± SD period from actual retirement to expected retirement age was 12.1 ± 8.1 years.CONCLUSION:
QoL and functional ability were positively correlated in patients with long-standing RA, with a large proportion showing impairments in both. Timely, target-oriented treatment initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis may help to improve patient-reported outcomes and limit the burden of RA. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01001182 . Registered 23 October 2009.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Artrite Reumatoide
/
Qualidade de Vida
/
Atividades Cotidianas
/
Necessidades e Demandas de Serviços de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Health Qual Life Outcomes
Assunto da revista:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Grécia