Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease with variable clinical symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral training on C-reactive protein (CRP) and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: This research was a semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of this study involved all women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis who went to Iran Rheumatology Center. From among them, 60 individuals were randomly selected and consigned to the control and experimental groups. The control group received only medication, and an educational package about rheumatoid arthritis provided for them. Beck’s depression and biochemical evaluations questionnaires were used to measure dependent variables. To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS. 22 software were used. Results: The mean (SD) of depression in the experimental group in the pretest was 25.5 (3.8), which decreased to 18.9 (4.2) in the post-test (P<0.01), but the mean (SD) of the control group was not statistically significant. Also, the mean (SD) of the CRP in the experimental group was 27.3 (6.9) in the pretest, which increased to 22.8 (4.6) in the post-test (P<0.01), but the mean (SD) of the control group was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This research revealed that cognitive behavioral training led to a reduction of CRP and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Highlights
Chronic diseases are among the most common health problems around the world that people’s health habits and behaviors dramatically affect their affliction and severity.[1]
There were 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had C-reactive protein (CRP) higher than 12, and their depression score was higher than 20 in the Beck test, who were selected by simple random sampling method
Each of the control and experimental groups consisted of 10 women with an average age of 25-68 years, and the educational level ranged from grades fifth of primary school to a master of arts, and 25% were single, and the rest were married
Summary
Chronic diseases are among the most common health problems around the world that people’s health habits and behaviors dramatically affect their affliction and severity.[1]. Synovial inflammation produced in the joint or joints results in their inflammation, tenderness, and stiffness, which can be associated with fatigue, weight loss, anxiety, and depression This disease can be a significant reason for disability and death.[3] Rheumatoid arthritis is an incapacitating autoimmune disease that affects between 0.5% and 1% of the adult population throughout the world.[4] The main complaints of these patients are a pain, disability, and fatigue. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral training on C-reactive protein (CRP) and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Results: The mean (SD) of depression in the experimental group in the pretest was 25.5 (3.8), which decreased to 18.9 (4.2) in the post-test (P < 0.01), but the mean (SD) of the control group was not statistically significant.
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