POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER and SYMPTOMS in PATIENTS with RHEUMATIC and MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES during the COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PRELIMINARY RESULTS from the PERMAS STUDY

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, with its uncertainties, fears of contagion, mass lockdowns and containment measures, has dramatically impacted on people's everyday lives leading to an increased risk of mental disorders, particularly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite evidence in general population and healthcare workers1,2, scant data emerged on vulnerable populations, such as of patients with chronic illness, particularly rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs)3,4, who also underwent difficulties in the management and treatment of their disorders. Objectives: To assess PTSD and post-traumatic stress symptoms in a sample of patients with RMDs, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Methods: PERMAS is a monocentric prospective observational study led by the Rheumatology Unit, the Psychiatric Clinic and the Institute of Management of the School of Advanced Studies. Patients with a RMD diagnosis, were consecutively enrolled from May 2021 to January 2022. During the visit, sociodemographic characteristics and psychopathological data were collected through online survey, whereas clinical data were collected by physician. The survey included the Trauma and Loss Spectrum-Self Report (TALS-SR) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), aimed to assess symptomato-logical PTSD and post-traumatic stress symptoms related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: A total of 194 eligible patients, with a mean age of 50.3±12.17 years, was included 142 (73.19%) were females;112 (57.74%) patients reported connective tissue diseases (CTD), 63 (32.47%) arthritis and 19 (9.8%) vasculitis. A total of 33 (17%) subjects reported a symptomatological PTSD by means of the TALS-SR. The prevalence of Partial PTSD (defned by at least 2 out of the 4 criteria for DSM-5 diagnosis of the disorder) was 56.7%, with signifcant higher rates among females (90, 81.8%) with respect to males (20, 18.2%) (p=.013). Accordingly, a IES-R mean total score of 21.90 ±15.98 was found in the total sample and a gender difference emerged, with higher mean scores among females rather than males (23.42 ±16.26 vs 21.90 ±15.98, p=.031). Conclusion: The present fndings point out high prevalence rates of symptoma-tological PTSD among patients suffering from RMDs, highlighting the potentially traumatic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in this particular population, especially among females, suggesting the need of further investigations to address tailored prevention and intervention strategies.