Depression and anxiety slows improvement in psoriatic arthritis; claims study

The study design consisted of Adult patients satisfying CASPAR criteria prospectively followed from 2008 to 2017. A standard protocol including physician assessment and patient‐reported outcomes defined whether patients achieved sustained MDA, defined when MDA criteria were met for two or more consecutive visits.

The presence of depression/anxiety was determined using three definitions: 1) a score of <=38 on the Mental Component Summary score of the SF‐36 questionnaire; 2) a score of <=56 on the Mental Health sub‐scale score; and 3) rheumatologist's report of a diagnosis or treatment for depression/anxiety. A discrete time‐to‐event analyses was conducted based on a proportional odds model to identify factors associated with achieving sustained MDA.

Data analysis brought forth some interesting facts.

• 743 patients were included in the study. The number of patients identified as having depression/anxiety at baseline was: Definition 1‐ 331 (44.54%), 2‐ 364 (48.99%), and 3‐ 211 (28.4%). 337 patients (45.36%) failed to achieve sustained MDA.
• The presence of depression/anxiety was associated with reduced probability of achieving sustained MDA with OR=0.30, p <0.0001, OR=0.34, p <0.0001, and OR=0.47, p <0.0001 for Definitions 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
• Other variables associated with a reduced probability of achieving sustained MDA included the Charlson comorbidity index and fibromyalgia.

For full article follow the link: Wong A, et al "Depression and anxiety reduce the probability of achieving a state of sustained minimal disease activity in patients with psoriatic arthritis" Arthritis Care Res 2021; DOI: 10.1002/acr.24593.

Primary source: Arthritis Care & Research