Introduction:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and multisystemic disease that has an impact on the quality of life and is associated with depressive symptoms.

Objectives:

To evaluate the quality of life, overall health status, and depression in patients with RA.

Patients and methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient Rheumatology Outpatient Department of a General Hospital in Mexico City. All patients met the criteria for rheumatoid arthritis according to the American Rheumatism Association, 1987. Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were recorded. Four measurement tools were used: Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS), Dunbar Questionnaire, a Visual Analog Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results:

A total of 43 patients aged ≥ 18 years were evaluated. The highest AIMS scores were in social activity (6.49±1.93), pain (4.70±2.04), depression (4.70±2.23), and physical activity (4.03±2.10). The mean score with the Dunbar questionnaire was 6.48±1.87, the mean Visual Analog Scale score was 69.41±24.67, and the mean of the Beck inventory was 15.74±9.85.

Conclusions:

The presence of anxiety and depression has an impact on the quality of life of patients with RA, but not on the presence of comorbidity or disease activity. Depressive symptoms are common in patients with RA, and should therefore be considered when evaluating this rheumatological disease.

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