Early diagnosis and better management of the disease have halved the disability and distress of patients in 20 years.
The disability, distress and even depression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have reportedly been halved over the past 20 years. These are the results of a study published in the journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Indeed, this analysis reveals that patients diagnosed today have a significantly better quality of life compared to patients affected in the early 1990s by this systemic autoimmune disease.
Listen to Dr Jean Paul Marre, rheumatologist at the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital in Paris: “10/15 years ago it was said that RA, apart from joint destruction, was the flu every day. “
To complete their analysis, the researchers therefore recruited 1151 patients with newly diagnosed RA between 1990 and 2011. Participants aged 17 to 86 were assessed at the time of diagnosis and followed for three to five years. As a result, 20 years ago, during the first 4 years of treatment, 23% of patients with RA also suffered from anxiety, 25% from depression and 53% had a physical disability.
Today, only 12% of patients have an anxiety disorder, 14% are depressed and 31% have a real disability. According to specialists, the reduction in disease activity is partly responsible for this positive development in 20 years. Improving treatment options, including the use of new biological products, has helped improve the quality of life of patients. To this must be added earlier diagnosis, more intensive interventions as well as new recommendations on lifestyle and physical activity.
Listen to Dr Jean Paul Marre: “ Ultrasound scans and MRI scans also allowed tighter control of disease progression. In Denmark, for example, there are handicap reductions of around 50%. “
“Our study determined that currently 1 in 4 patients with RA is disabled after the first four years of treatment. 20 years ago, it was 2 out of 4. Today, RA patients clearly have a better chance of having a quality life compared to patients diagnosed with this autoimmune disease two decades ago ” concludes Cécile L. Overman, main author of the study. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 1% of the world’s population currently suffer from pain and swelling in the joints due to RA.
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