Arthritis comorbidities 'can cause a greater impact on quality of life'

A new study has demonstrated the potentially significant impact that comorbidities can have on the quality of life of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Comorbidities are additional diseases or conditions that co-exist with a primary affliction, which can often compound the effect of the main ailment in various ways. In arthritis, common comorbidities include heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

According to research from the University of North Carolina in the US, comorbidities can differentially impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients, with this new study aiming to shed light on the trend.

A total of 159 adult patients with self-reported doctor-diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and 149 people with osteoarthritis were recruited from multiple sources and completed an online cross-sectional survey.

Patients gave information on their sociodemographic variables, arthritis severity and comorbid conditions, with HRQOL scores compared with norm-based general US population data, as well as between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients to see if they significantly differed from one another.

According to results published in the medical journal Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology Online, arthritis patients experienced significantly worse HRQOL across all metrics when compared with that of the general US population, with no significant differences between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis on this front.

However, a higher comorbidity count was associated with worse physical and mental health scores, a trend that persisted even when controlling for patient gender, age, education and arthritis severity. 

The researchers concluded: "Arthritis patients with more chronic comorbid conditions may be at particular risk for poor physical and mental health. Providers should discuss management of comorbid conditions with arthritis patients."

A spokesman for Arthritis Research UK commented: "Because so many older people have arthritis, they are more likely to have other comorbidities than younger people, which can be a challenge for doctors treating them because of possible drug interactions. They need to remain alert about this issue when dealing with arthritis patients."

View article...