Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial health in rheumatic patients: A longitudinal study

Abstract

AimTo describe the impact of the COVID-19 on the psychosocial health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). DesignLongitudinal observational study of a series of patients with rheumatic disease. MethodsThe main outcome measure was impairment of the ability to participate in social activities, as measured using the PROMIS-APS instrument Short Form-8a. We evaluated social activities in various settings and performed a multivariate analysis to study the association between worsening of social participation during the COVID-19 pandemic and implicated factors. ResultsOne hundred and twenty-five patients had completed the prospective follow-up: 40 with AR (32%), 42 with SpA (33.6%), and 43 with SLE (34.4%). Overall, poorer mean PROMIS scores were recorded after the COVID-19 pandemic for: satisfaction with social roles (p=0.029), depression (p=0.039), and ability to participate in social activities (p=0.024). The factors associated with ability to participate in social activities after the COVID-19 pandemic were older age (β=−0.215; p=0.012), diagnosis of SLE (β=−0.203; p=0.015), depression (β=−0.295; p=0.003) and satisfaction with social roles (β=0.211; p=0.037). ConclusionThe ability to participate in social activities after the COVID-19 pandemic is affected in patients with rheumatic disease, especially in SLE.