Younger Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Are as Dependent in Activities of Daily Living as Their Older Counterparts

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is an important cause of disability and dependency in older adults. We aimed to assess dependency in activities of daily living in younger and older patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to seek factors underlying dependency in activities of daily living.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed dependency in basic and instrumental activities of daily living; disease activity; quality of life; depression; anxiety; and fatigue in the rheumatology clinic of a university hospital. Univariate analyses and a logistic regression analysis were performed to determine factors associated with dependency.Results: We enrolled 76 patients with a mean age of 57±11.1 (range 31-78). The rate of dependency in instrumental activities of daily living was high in younger (56.1%) and older (51.4%) patients. The rate of dependency in basic activities of daily living was 14.6% in younger and 14.3% in older patients. A higher depression score and female gender had significant associations with dependency in instrumental activities of daily living.Conclusion: The rate of dependency in basic and instrumental activities of daily living is high in younger and older patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Depression seems to be an independent and important factor underlying dependency. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms of this association and test the effect of antidepressant treatment on dependency in rheumatoid arthritis.