POS1471-HPR PAIN CATASTROPHIZING AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PAIN OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN A NON-INFLAMMATORY CONDITION.

Abstract

BackgroundPain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be linked with non-inflammatory factors, including physical disabilities, psychiatric disorders, and pain catastrophizing (PC) (1.ObjectivesWe investigated the role of PC in the possible link between physical disabilities and psychiatric disorders in RA patients in a non-inflammatory condition.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a total of 81 RA patients in a non-inflammatory condition were included; all patients had serum C-reactive protein levels <0.5 mg/dL, without any inflammatory joints. We examined the demographic and clinical data and administered the pain visual analog scale (VAS), the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS), the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI), and the patient version of the Brief Scale for Psychiatric Problems in Orthopedic Patients (pBS-POP). A series of multivariate-adjusted multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between PC and pain intensity, physical disabilities, and psychiatric disorders.ResultsWe found associations between all the above-mentioned variables in separate models associated with HAQ-DI, pBS-POP, and PCS scores. However, in the model associated with pain VAS, the PCS score (β=0.34, p=0.0073) emerged as the only variable showing statistically significant association.ConclusionPC is associated with pain in RA patients in a non-inflammatory condition, and this association may be mediated through pathways involving physical disabilities and psychiatric disorders.