ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is a scarcity of data on the burden of depression among Ugandans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We aimed to screen for symptoms of depression, their severity and associated factors among patients with RA in Uganda. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2020 at Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) and Nsambya Hospital. Patients with RA were enrolled consecutively. Data on demographics, disease course and comorbidities and depression symptomatology were collected through an interviewer administered questionnaire. Symptoms of depression were screened for using the depression/anxiety dimension of the EuroQoL questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients with a median age of 52 (IQR: 43.5-60.5) years were recruited in the study. The majority of the patients were female (91.7%, n=44). Twenty-nine patients (60.4%) had comorbidities with a median Charlson comorbidity score of 3 (IQR: 2-4). Overall, 70.8% (n=34) had depressive symptoms. Patients attending MNRH were more likely to have depressive symptoms (p=0.025). Significantly, patients with depressive symptoms were younger (p=0.027), had lower health index value (p<0.001), and lower overall self-reported health status (p=0.013). At binary logistic regression, patients at MNRH (crude odds ratio (COR): 4.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-16.15, P=0.030), patients aged <52 years (COR: 5.24, 95% CI: 1.23-22.28, P=0.025) and those with mild RA (COR: 5.71, 95% CI: 1.15-28.35, P=0.033) were significantly more likely to have depressive symptoms. Increase in age (COR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99, P=0.025), and high visual analogue score (COR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99, P=0.013) were protective. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms were common among RA patients in Uganda. Routine screening, diagnosis and management of depression is recommended among young patients to improve quality of life and patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Aim of the work: To assess the patient reported outcome measure (PROM) of the quality of life (QoL) of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RDs) attending two tertiary care rheumatology clinics in Uganda. Patients and methods: Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of RD and receiving disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were studied. Health index and overall self-rated health status were assessed using the EuroQol 5-dimension (ED-5D-5L) questionnaire tool. Results: 74 patients were studied: 48 (64.9%) had rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 14(18.9%) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 12(16.2%) had other RDs; spondyloarthritis (n = 5), systemic sclerosis (n = 3), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (n = 2), and idiopathic inflammatory myositis (n = 2). Their mean age was 45 ± 17 years and 69 (93.2%) were female. 14(18.9%) were on concomitant herbal medication and 26 (35.1%) self-reported at least 1 adverse drug reaction. Any level of problem was reported by 54(72.5%) participants for mobility, 47(63.5%) for self-care, 56(75.6%) for usual activity, 66(89.1%) for pain and discomfort, and 56(75.6%) for anxiety/depression. The mean health index of the patients was 0.64 ± 0.16 and the overall self-rated health status was 58.1 ± 16.7. Patients with SLE (0.74 ± 0.12) had higher health index compared to those with RA (0.60 ± 0.17) or other RDs (0.70 ± 0.1) (p < 0.007). Overall self-rated health status was comparable across clinical diagnoses (p = 0.23). Both the index and self-reported status were better for patients who received private hospital care compared to public hospital (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.01). Conclusion: There is a substantial negative impact of autoimmune rheumatic diseases on quality of life of patients, especially those receiving care from a public facility in Uganda.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and burden of SLE in Africa are poorly understood. This health-facility-based retrospective study aimed to describe the frequency and the clinical and immunological characteristics of SLE in Uganda. METHODS: We reviewed clinical notes of patients presenting with rheumatological complaints in two large rheumatology outpatient clinics in Uganda between January 2014 and December 2019. RESULTS: Of the 1019 charts reviewed, 5.5% (56) of the patients had confirmed SLE, with a median age of 29 (range: 14-65) years. The male-to-female ratio was â¼1:10, and 19.6% (11/56) of the patients had SLE and RA overlap syndrome. Patients presented with joint pains or swellings (n = 39, 69.6%), typical photosensitive malar rash (n = 34, 60.7%), oral ulceration (n = 23, 41.1%), anaemia (n = 14, 25.0%), hair loss and polyserositis (n = 12, 21.4% each), constitutional symptoms (n = 10, 17.9%), RP (n = 4, 7.1%) or LN (n = 3, 5.4%). ANA and anti-dsDNA autoantibodies were both positive in 25 (75.8%) of the 33 patients with available results. ANA titres were ≥1:160, with a median titre of 1:160 (range: 1:160 to 1:3200). Six patients had titres ≥1:320. The median dsDNA level was 80 (range: 40-283) IU. Ten patients had results of C3 and C4 complement protein levels and, of these, 4 patients had low C3 levels and 3 had low C4 levels. CONCLUSION: SLE is uncommon among patients presenting with rheumatological complains in Uganda. SLE overlaps with RA in our setting, and a majority of patients present to care with complications.
