IMPACT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DISEASE ACTIVITY IN PAINFUL PROFILE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PEOPLE WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease with impact on increasing the morbidity and mortality rates. Different levels of disease activity (LDA) have been established, however, its impact on pain and quality of life have yet to be been evidenced. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of different levels of disease activity on the painful profile and quality of life (QOL) of patients diagnosed with RA. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in RA patients attending an Educational Outpatient Care Service in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The LDA was defined according to values of Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and number of swollen and sore joints, according to the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). Types of pain were assessed using the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questions (DN4). To evaluate QOL, the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were applied. The association between LDA, QOL and painful profile was verified using One Way-ANOVA and Bonferroni correction post-test. A high LAD was observed in 67.7% of the 96 patients  evaluated in this study. Pain sensation was reported by 94.8 % of participants with 40.6 % reporting it as nociceptive and 80.2% as intense. It was also observed that the higher LAD found the higher was the pain intensity reported (p=0.001) and lower QOL scores (p<0.001). Although the LDA did not correlate with the type of pain (p=0.611), it was correlated with the total score obtained in the QOL from the HAQ (p=0.001). The greatest impact on QOL evaluated through the SF-36 were physical (p<0.001) and functional capacity (p<0.001). In conclusion, RA patients who had high LDA reported more severe pain perception and obtained the lowest scores in the assessment of quality of life.