Correlation between stress, anxiety and depression of patients with rheumatoid arthritis during COVID-19 pandemic and their non-compliance to treatment: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Background: The prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. As RA patients tend to be immunodeficient, they are at greater risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection due to their scheduled hospital appointments. Therefore, they have become more anxious and worried during COVID-19 pandemic, and some patients recently have canceled or postponed their treatment. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of stress, anxiety, and depression due to COVID-19 outbreak on non-compliance to treatment among RA patients.