Objective:
The axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) mainly affects young population and often leads to reduced mobility, but less is known about the impact it has on mental health. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression among axSpA patients and explore the underlying associated factors.
Methods:
A cross sectional
survey-based
study was conducted from a single center. A convenient sampling was done to include 100 patients. We included questions about disease activity, sleep, fatigue, quality of life (QoL), and work productivity. All patients were asked to fill the patient health
questionnaire-9
(PHQ) for depression and general anxiety
disorder-7
(GAD) for anxiety. A multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine associations between
PHQ-9
and
GAD-7
scores with various
socio-demographic
factors, disease activity scores, and other variables.
Results
: Clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression were present in 38% and 36% patients, respectively. Both were significantly associated with younger age at disease onset (
P
< .05), high disease activity, sleep disturbances, fatigue, poor QoL, and high impact on work productivity. Misbeliefs that “doctors hide
side-effects
of medicines” and “all modern medicine used in treatment of axSpA causes
side-effects”
were also related to higher anxiety and depression scores. Depression was also found to be associated with female patients.
Conclusion:
Anxiety and depression are common in axSpA. They are associated with high disease
activity and reduced work productivity. Patients should be regularly screened for these symptoms.
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