Journal Article

Changes in physical function over time in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A cohort study

Lidiane Isabel Filippin, Ricardo Machado Xavier, Leonardo Peterson dos Santos, Claiton Viegas Brenol, Juliana Katarina Schoer Portes, Joshua F. Baker, Rafael Mendonça da Silva Chakr, Rafaela Cavalheiro do Espírito Santo, Jordana Miranda de Souza Silva

2023

Overview

Self-reported disability is potentially influenced by many factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this sense, we evaluated the association between self-reported disability and (1) clinical features, (2) muscle strength and (3) physical performance over time among patients with RA from two distinct patient cohorts. Two independent prospective RA cohorts were analyzed. The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints (DAS28), handgrip test, chair stand test, timed-up-and-go (TUG) test and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) were performed at baseline and in follow-up. T test for independent samples, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation coefficients and linear regression with generalized estimating equations were performed to assess associations between individual constructs at baseline and over time. A total of 205 total RA patients were included [North American Cohort (n = 115); Brazilian Cohort (n = 90)]. At enrollment, Brazilian men had better HAQ than North American men (p<0.001). Brazilian patients overall had lower muscle strength than North American patients (p<0.05). HAQ was associated with DAS28, handgrip test, chair stand test, TUG and SPPB (p<0.001) in both cohorts. Worsening of the DAS28 and chair stand test were each associated with worsening in HAQ in longitudinal analysis over time. Worsening of handgrip was also associated in with worsening HAQ in both cohorts (p<0.05). A worse TUG test was associated with worsening in HAQ in Brazilian cohort (p<0.05) and a worse SPPB was associated with worsening in HAQ in North American cohort (p<0.05). Greater disability measured by HAQ is closely associated with disease activity, pain, muscle strength, and physical performance among RA. Worsening in self-reported disability correlate with worsening clinical factors including objectively-observed physical function.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS),Public Library of Science
• Subject: Arthritis / Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Autoimmune diseases / Biology and Life Sciences / Body composition / Care and treatment / Chronic illnesses / Cohort analysis / Cohort Studies / Correlation coefficient / Correlation coefficients / Development and progression / Diagnosis / Disability Evaluation / Disease / Hand Strength / Humans / Independent sample / Joint diseases / Male / Medicine / Medicine and Health Sciences / Muscle strength / Pain / Patients / People and places / Prospective Studies / Q / Questionnaires / R / Research and Analysis Methods / Research Article / Rheumatism / Rheumatoid arthritis / Rheumatology / Sarcopenia / Science / Self report / Severity of Illness Index / Surveys and Questionnaires / Womens health