The occurrence of depressive symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study

Background / Aim. Depression as a common comorbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been found to have effects on the disease diagnosis and treatment response. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate the occurence of depressive symptoms among patients with RA and the association between RA and depression. Methods. A cross-sectional study included 69 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The depressive symptoms in patients with RA were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and RA activity was measured by Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28-ESR) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Results. It was found that 42% of respondents reported having depressive symptoms of different severity, among which the majority presented with mild symptoms (23.2%). Our study showed that there was a mild positive correlation, between the BDI and the DAS28-ESR (r = 0.39 p = 0.001), as well as the BDI and the CDAI (r = 0.40 p = 0.001). Place of residence (t=-2.14 p=0.03) and working status (t=-2.81 p=0.00) associated with depressive symptoms were also found to have statistically significant differences within the group of respondents. In addition, age has a positive correlation with the disease activity, as well as the place of residence and employment status. Conclusion. It has been observed that depression symptoms in patients with RA were associated with disease activity, employment status, and place of residence. Therefore, there is an important need for integration of rheumatologic and mental health services for future research towards a better understanding of both depression and RA.