PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Disability, distress in RA patients cut in half over last 20 years

2013-12-03
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Dawn Peters
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley
Disability, distress in RA patients cut in half over last 20 years New research reveals that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) today have an easier time with daily living than patients diagnosed two decades ago. According to results of the study published in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), anxiety, depressed mood and physical disability have been cut in half over the last 20 years. Researchers believe a reduction in disease activity is partly responsible for this positive change.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to one percent of the world population experience pain and swelling of joints caused by RA, a systemic autoimmune disease. Over time, RA may impair daily function and lead to significant disability, with studies showing the disease is a threat to physical function and psychological well-being. However, improved treatment options including early therapy intervention, use of biologics, and more intensive therapy have helped to reduce disease activity.

"Earlier diagnosis, more intensive interventions along with recommendations to live a full life and to be physically active may help improve daily living for those with RA," explains lead author, Cécile L. Overman, a Ph.D. Candidate with the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University in The Netherlands. "Our study examined if psychological distress and physical disability in RA patients reduced over the last two decades."

For the present study, researchers recruited 1151 with newly diagnosed RA between 1990 and 2011. Participants were 17 to 86 years of age with 68% being female. Each participant was assessed at the time of diagnosis and monitored for the following three to five years.

Findings indicate that after the first four years of treatment 20 years ago, 23% of RA patients reported anxiety, 25% depressed mood, and 53% had physical disability compared to 12%, 14% and 31%, respectively, today. The decrease in physical disability remained significant even after adjusting for reduced disease activity. Results suggest that the downward trend in physical disability, anxiety, and depressed mood may be due in part to reduced disease activity.

"Our study determined that currently, 1 out of 4 newly diagnosed RA patients are disabled after the first four years of treatment; while 20 years ago, that figure was higher at 2 out of 4 patients," concludes Ms. Overman. "Today, RA patients have a better opportunity of living a valued life than patients diagnosed with this autoimmune disease two decades ago."

### This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com.

Full citation: "Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Nowadays are Less Psychologically Distressed and Physically Disabled Than Patients Two Decades Ago." Cécile L. Overman, Maud S. Jurgens, Ercolie R. Bossema, Johannes W.G. Jacobs, Johannes W.J. Bijlsma and Rinie Geenen. Arthritis Care and Research; Published Online: December 3, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.22211).

URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/acr.22211

Author


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

3D mammography increases cancer detection and reduces call-back rates, Penn study finds

2013-12-03
3D mammography increases cancer detection and reduces call-back rates, Penn study finds CHICAGO—Compared to traditional mammography, 3D mammography—known as digital breast tomosynthesis—found 22 percent more breast cancers and led ...

Our pupils adjust as we imagine bright and dark scenes

2013-12-03
Our pupils adjust as we imagine bright and dark scenes Conjuring up a visual image in the mind — like a sunny day or a night sky — has a corresponding effect on the size of our pupils, as if we were actually seeing the image, according ...

How does persimmon leaf flavonoid promote brain ischemic tolerance?

2013-12-02
How does persimmon leaf flavonoid promote brain ischemic tolerance? Meng Zhao Studies have found that brain ischemic tolerance is associated with endothelial cells, inflammatory factor and intercellular adhesion molecule, but its mechanism of action role in prevention ...

Critical brain areas for sex hormone to induce diseases

2013-12-02
Critical brain areas for sex hormone to induce diseases The human brain is anatomically and functionally sexually dimorphic. While specific debates on this topic have occurred for decades, sexual dimorphism is generally acknowledged with respect to brain size, cognitive ...

Periodontal tissue differentiation of SC is expected to repair peripheral nerve injury

2013-12-02
Periodontal tissue differentiation of SC is expected to repair peripheral nerve injury In peripheral axonal regeneration, Schwann cells play an integral role and Schwann cells transplantation has been shown to enhance axonal outgrowth both in vitro and in vivo. ...

IceCube particle detector in Antarctica records high-energy neutrinos

2013-12-02
IceCube particle detector in Antarctica records high-energy neutrinos Achievement gives hope for 'extreme astronomy' BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA -- Scientists at a massive underground particle detector in Antarctica called the IceCube South Pole ...

Mediterranean diet without breakfast the best choice for diabetics

2013-12-02
Mediterranean diet without breakfast the best choice for diabetics For patients with diabetes, it is better to eat a single large meal than several smaller meals throughout the day. This is the result of a current dietary study at Linköping University in Sweden. In ...

Why tumors become resistant to chemotherapy?

2013-12-02
Why tumors become resistant to chemotherapy? IDIBELL Researchers describe epigenetic changes that explain the lack of response to drugs in colon cancer A common observation in oncology is the phenomenon that a patient with a tumor receives ...

Crossing continents -- where we drive affects how we drive

2013-12-02
Crossing continents -- where we drive affects how we drive According to the International Transport Forum Malaysia has one of the highest death rates from road traffic accidents in the world. While the number of road deaths continues to rise in ...

CNIO scientists create the first large catalog of interactions between drugs and proteins

2013-12-02
CNIO scientists create the first large catalog of interactions between drugs and proteins The catalog will serve to provide a reference tool for modern molecular pharmacology and for the study of the consequences of mutations in cancer The three-dimensional ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Researchers generate lung cells from mouse fibroblasts in just 7 to 10 days

Prizewinner’s research reveals how immune responses to friendly skin microbiota could pave way for novel vaccination responses

Old aerial photos give scientists a new tool to predict sea level rise

20 million for courageous research at ISTA

Ships trigger high and unexpected emissions of the greenhouse gas methane

Optimizing laser irradiation: An in-silico meta-analysis of skin discoloration treatment

Climate crisis could force wild vanilla plants and pollinating insects apart, threatening global supply

Teens report spending 21% of each driving trip looking at their phone

Study explores the ‘social norms’ of distracted driving among teens

Diver-operated microscope brings hidden coral biology into focus

Enhancing the “feel-good” factor of urban vegetation using AI and street view images

A single genetic mutation may have made humans more vulnerable to cancer than chimpanzees

Innovative nanocomposite hydrogel shows promise for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis treatment

2025 Guangci Laboratory Medicine Innovation and Development Conference

LabMed Discovery is included in the ICI World Journals database

LabMed Discovery is included in the China Open Access Journal (COAJ) database

Vaccination support program reduces pneumonia-related mortality by 25 percent among the elderly

Over decades, a healthy lifestyle outperforms metformin in preventing onset of Type 2 diabetes

Mental health disorders, malaria, and heart disease most affected by covid pandemic

Green transition will boost UK productivity

Billions voted in 2024, but major new report exposes cracks in global democracy

Researchers find “forever chemicals” impact the developing male brain

Quantum leap in precision sensing across technologies

Upgrading biocrude oil into sustainable aviation fuel using zeolite-supported iron-molybdenum carbide nanocatalysts

For effective science communication, ‘just the facts’ isn’t good enough

RT-EZ: A golden gate assembly toolkit for streamlined genetic engineering of rhodotorula toruloides

Stem Cell Reports announces five new early career editors

Support networks may be the missing link for college students who seek help for excessive drinking

The New England Journal of Medicine shines spotlight on forensic pathology

Scientists discover protein that helps lung cancer spread to the brain

[Press-News.org] Disability, distress in RA patients cut in half over last 20 years