The Co-Relation between Disease Activity and Quality of Life among Patients with Peripheral Spondyloarthropathy

Abstract

Background: More disability and incapacity to work and a poorer quality of life in spondyloarthritis (SpA) in the presence of enthesitis is associated with higher disease activity. Objective: To find out the co-relation between disease activity and quality of life among patients with peripheral spondyloarthropathy. Methodology: From March 2021 to February 2022, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at BSMMU, Dhaka, performed a cross-sectional research. A total of 105 individuals diagnosed with pSpA who were included in the trial were chosen on purpose. Excluded from the research were patients with concomitant systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as RA, SSc, lupus, and Dermatomyositis. The validated Bengali version of The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), including C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), was used to measure disease activity, while the validated Bengali version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF) 12v2 was used to evaluate health-related quality of life. Results: The participants' mean age was 38.8(±9.8) years, and 68(64.8%) were male. The mean duration of sickness was 4.3(±3.3) years, with 55.4% of cases lasting less than 3 years. The mean ASDAS-CRP was 3.9(±0.08), with 69(65.7%) individuals having a very high Disease Activity Score. 100% of the individuals in the research experienced arthritis and inflammatory back pain. The majority of research subjects had the HLA B27 gene (N=101, or 96.2%), and 99(94.3%) had enthesitis. Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) mean scores were 34(±7.8) and 41(±7.7), respectively. A slight negative association existed between age and PCS scores on the SF-12 (r=-0.233, p=0.017). There was a negative connection between illness duration and PCS (r=-0.339, p=0.001) and MCS (r=-0.290, p=0.003) SF-12 scores. Again, there was a moderate negative connection between ASDAS-CRP and the PCS and MCS scores of the SF-12 (r=-0.406, p=0.001) and the MCS scores of the SF-12 (r=-0.461, p0.001). Conclusion: The Disease Activity Score of the majority of individuals with peripheral spondyloarthritis was very high. The psychological health of these patients was superior to their physical health. Both physical and mental health components were negatively linked with illness duration. There was a moderate inverse connection between ASDAS-CRP and the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of the SF-12.