Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Implications in people’s loss of function

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a pathology which has deep implications in people's loss of function (physical, emotional, social and economical implications). It is therefore essential to assess the functionality and the kind of limitations people who suffer from AR experience and their relationship with the socio-demographic and clinical variables as well as with these people's sleep quality. Methods: Non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational and quantitative study. A non-probabilistic defined for convenience sample was used. That sample was formed by 75 Portuguese people diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the data collection, a protocol that included socio-demographic and clinical questions was used. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were used in the data collection as well. Results: We could witness that 60% of the participants show mild incapacity as far as their ability to perform daily tasks was concerned, 32,0% show moderate incapacity and 8,0% show serious incapacity. The functionality of people suffering from RA is in correlation with the socio-demographic, age (p=0,003), people's employment situation (p=0,000), their educational level (p=0,006) and their monthly income (p=0,001). These people loss of function is worsened by the pain intensity (p=0,007), the time needed to performed the diagnosis (p=0,013) and bad sleep quality (p=0,030). Conclusion: Evidence shows that incapacity is a reality in the lives of people suffering from RA. This incapacity is associated with several socio-demographic, clinical and psycho-social variables. Thus, early diagnosis, adopting the right measures to promote good sleep quality, implementing pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures which will ease people's pain and educational measures that will be offered to RA patients should be developed as strategies to minimize the negative impact caused by this disease.