[Quality of life in adults and elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis].
REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE REUMATOLOGIA 2015;
54:279-86. [PMID:
25627223 DOI:
10.1016/j.rbr.2014.03.025]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To analyze and compare quality of life (QoL) in adults and elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
METHODS
This was a cross-sectional quantitative study. The tools include the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS-28), the Assessment Health Questionnaire (HAQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics, Student's t test and linear regression test, with significance level of p <0.05.
RESULTS
The sample consisted of 99 patients diagnosed with RA, divided into adults and elderly. Those considered adults were 18-59 years-old and those with 60 years or older where considered elderly. In SF-36, the groups showed the pain domain as the most compromised and the emotional aspects domain as the less compromised. Both showed moderate level of disease activity and mild disability. Applying the t test, it was found that there was no significant difference between groups with respect to QoL, functional ability, depression and disease activity. The difference was significant in the 6MWT, in which the elderly achieved an average of 330.8 m, and the adults, 412.2 m (p=0.000). In linear regression, a significant correlation (r=-0.31) between the 6MWT and increasing age was noted.
CONCLUSION
QoL and functional capacity in RA were affected in adults and the elderly. How-ever, the results showed no significant difference between groups, with the exception of the 6MWT.
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