ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the alexithymia, mental health condition and their relationship in female rheumatoid arthritis patients. Methods Fifty-four female patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 50 healthy women were enrolled and assessed with Chinese version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the symptom checklist-90(SCL-90). Disease duration and DAS28 of the patients were also recorded and calculated. The data were statistical analyzed by t test between the two groups and other block groups. The association between TAS-20, SCL-90, duration and DAS28 was assessed using Spearman corre-lations. Results ① The TAS-20 total score and Tf1, Tf2, Tf3 factors score of female rheumatoid arthritis patients were significantly higher than those of the control group (57±9, 51±7, t=4.15, P DAS28 and anxiety and paranoid factors (P <0.05). Conclusion There is obvious alexithymia and psychological problems in female rheumatoid arthritis patients; the Tf1 and Tf3 factors of TAS-20, duration and DAS28 are all major factors related to the psychological state.