Are we missing the diagnosis of depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis at a tertiary care facility?
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2017; 33 (2): 300-305
in En
| IMEMR
| ID: emr-187887
Responsible library:
EMRO
Objectives: To determine if we are missing clinical depression in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and its relationship with functional disability and level of formal education in such patients
Methods: The data for this cross-sectional, analytical study was gathered from May 2015 till December 2015 and comprised of 128 with Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed according to ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria. The study was conducted at Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi. Functional status was assessed with Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire [mHAQ] and Beck's Depression Inventory [BDI] was used for evaluation of symptoms of depression. The relation between depression, functional disability and educational status was established using Pearson correlation coefficient
Results: The study included 128 patients with no previous diagnosis of depression. 122 [95.3%] were females and 6 [4.7%] were males. The mean age was 51.75 +/- 9.25 years. Mean duration of disease was 8.95 +/- 7.1 years. According to this study, the diagnosis of clinical depression was missed in 47.7% of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis who had been under regular follow up at a tertiary care facility. About 18% were keen to seek professional help for depressive symptoms while 62.6% had functional disability [mild - severe]. There is a positive correlation with BDI [Pearson's correlation +1] and functional disability. No correlation could be established between level of education and depression as out of 79 [61.7%] patients with no basic education, 45.5% had depression. In remaining 49 [38.2%] patients, with some formal education, 51.3% had clinical depression
Conclusion: Almost half of the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis coming to a tertiary care set up had clinical depression but were never diagnosed or referred to a Psychiatrist. There is a positive correlation between depression and functional disability; however no statistically significant correlation could be established with the level of formal education. The study further emphasizes the importance of early recognition and swift referral of such patients to a psychiatrist since it is known to improve both treatment outcomes and functional status
Methods: The data for this cross-sectional, analytical study was gathered from May 2015 till December 2015 and comprised of 128 with Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed according to ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria. The study was conducted at Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi. Functional status was assessed with Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire [mHAQ] and Beck's Depression Inventory [BDI] was used for evaluation of symptoms of depression. The relation between depression, functional disability and educational status was established using Pearson correlation coefficient
Results: The study included 128 patients with no previous diagnosis of depression. 122 [95.3%] were females and 6 [4.7%] were males. The mean age was 51.75 +/- 9.25 years. Mean duration of disease was 8.95 +/- 7.1 years. According to this study, the diagnosis of clinical depression was missed in 47.7% of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis who had been under regular follow up at a tertiary care facility. About 18% were keen to seek professional help for depressive symptoms while 62.6% had functional disability [mild - severe]. There is a positive correlation with BDI [Pearson's correlation +1] and functional disability. No correlation could be established between level of education and depression as out of 79 [61.7%] patients with no basic education, 45.5% had depression. In remaining 49 [38.2%] patients, with some formal education, 51.3% had clinical depression
Conclusion: Almost half of the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis coming to a tertiary care set up had clinical depression but were never diagnosed or referred to a Psychiatrist. There is a positive correlation between depression and functional disability; however no statistically significant correlation could be established with the level of formal education. The study further emphasizes the importance of early recognition and swift referral of such patients to a psychiatrist since it is known to improve both treatment outcomes and functional status
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Index:
IMEMR
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Pak. J. Med. Sci.
Year:
2017