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Direct and Indirect Determinants of the Patient Global Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Differences by Level of Disease Activity
Author(s) -
Ward Michael M.,
Guthrie Lori C.,
Dasgupta Abhijit
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
arthritis care and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.032
H-Index - 163
eISSN - 2151-4658
pISSN - 2151-464X
DOI - 10.1002/acr.22953
Subject(s) - medicine , rheumatoid arthritis , morning , morning stiffness , physical therapy , distress , percentile , severity of illness , clinical psychology , statistics , mathematics , psoriatic arthritis
Objective In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the patient global assessment (PGA) has been strongly associated with pain severity, but less often with other measures, including disease activity measures. We tested whether RA activity and psychological measures had direct associations with the PGA or indirect associations that were mediated by pain. We also tested whether the correlates of the PGA differed with the degree of RA activity. Methods We studied 260 patients with active RA on 2 visits in a prospective longitudinal study. We used path analysis to test direct and indirect associations of Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), morning stiffness, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), fatigue, physical role limitations, social functioning, depressive symptoms, and health distress with the PGA. Results Among the 509 visits, the median PGA score was 50 (25th–75th percentile: 24–66). Pain severity had the strongest association with the PGA, but direct associations were also found for morning stiffness severity, health distress, fatigue, and DAS28. Morning stiffness severity, DAS28, health distress, and HAQ were also indirectly associated with the PGA through pain. Among visits with DAS28 ≥5.4, pain, morning stiffness severity, and HAQ were the only determinants of the PGA. Among visits with DAS28 <4.2, health distress and age were additional determinants, and fatigue was marginally associated with the PGA. Conclusion Although pain was the strongest determinant of the PGA in RA, morning stiffness severity, health distress, fatigue, and DAS28 were also important. Determinants of the PGA differed with RA activity, with health distress, age, and to a lesser degree, fatigue, contributing only in patients with less active RA.