1.
Östlund, Gunnel, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
Emotions related to participation restrictions as experienced by patients with early rheumatoid arthritis : A qualitative interview study (The Swedish TIRA project)
2014
Ingår i: Clinical Rheumatology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0770-3198 .- 1434-9949. ; 33:10, s. 1403-1413
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Background: Psychological distress is a well-known complication in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but knowledge regarding emotions, and their relationship to participation restrictions, is scarce.Objectives: To explore emotions related to participation restrictions by patients with early RA. Method: In this study, 48 patients with early RA, aged 20-63 years, were interviewed about participation restrictions using Critical Incident Technique. Information from transcribed interviews was converted into dilemmas and linked to ICF participation codes. The emotions described were condensed and categorized.Results: Hopelessness and sadness were described when trying to perform daily activities such as getting up in the mornings, getting dressed, or not being able to perform duties at work. Sadness was experienced in relation to not being able to continue leisure activities or care for children. Examples of fear descriptions were found in relation to deteriorating health and fumble fear, which made the individual withdraw from activities as a result of mistrusting the body. Anger and irritation were described in relation to domestic and employed work, but also in social relations where the individual felt unable to continue valued activities. Shame or embarrassment was described when participation restrictions became visible in public.Conclusions: Feelings of grief, aggressiveness, fear and shame are emotions closely related to participation restrictions in everyday life in early RA. Emotions related to disability need to be addressed both in clinical settings in order to optimize rehabilitative multi-professional interventions and in research to achieve further knowledge.
2.
Hallert, Eva, et al.
(författare)
Disease activity and disability in women and men with early rheumatoid arthritis : An 8-year follow-up of the Swedish TIRA project
2012
Ingår i: Arthritis Care and Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0893-7524 .- 1529-0123 .- 2151-464X. ; 64:8, s. 1101-1107
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare women and men regarding course of disease activity and disability over 8 years from diagnosis of recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 149 patients were followed for 8 years from RA diagnosis (1996-98) regarding 28-joint count disease activity score (DAS28), pain (visual analogue scale, VAS), grip force, Grip Ability Test (GAT), Signals of Functional Impairment (SOFI hand, upper/lower extremity), walking speed, activity limitation (Health Assessment Questionnaire, HAQ) and prescribed disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). RESULTS: Disease activity pattern over time was similar in women and men, showing improvement during the first year and thereafter a stable situation during 6 years. However, at the 7- and 8-year follow-ups deterioration was seen with a less favourable course in women. HAQ did not differ between sexes at diagnosis, but at all follow-ups women had significantly higher scores than men. Women also had lower grip force and lower walking speed, but higher upper extremity mobility. DMARD prescription was similar for both sexes. Over eight years, disease duration, sex, biologics, grip force, SOFI-hand and pain intensity together explained 43% of the variation in DAS, while grip force, SOFI-lower, GAT and pain intensity could together explain 55% of variations in HAQ. CONCLUSIONS: Disease activity was fairly well managed, but disability gradually deteriorated. Despite similar medication, women had more disability than men. The discrepancy between disease activity and disability indicates unmet needs for multi-professional interventions to prevent progressing disability and patients at risk for disability need to be identified early in the process. © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.
3.
Thyberg, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
Potential of the HAQ score as clinical indicator suggesting comprehensive multidisciplinary assessments : the Swedish TIRA cohort 8 years after diagnosis of RA
2012
Ingår i: Clinical Rheumatology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0770-3198 .- 1434-9949. ; 31:5, s. 775-783
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
This study explores the potential of the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) score as a clinical indicator that can be used to suggest comprehensive multidisciplinary assessments, by relating it to more general aspects of disability. In a cohort of 132 patients with early RA (mean age 55, 68% women), 28 joint count Disease Activity Scores (DAS-28), HAQ, and Short Form 36 (SF-36) scores were registered at annual follow-up visits 8 years after diagnosis. The patients were tentatively sub-grouped into a high-HAQ group (HAQ ≥1 at the 8-year follow-up) and a low-HAQ group. The high-HAQ group, comprising 36% of the cohort, had a higher mean HAQ score at inclusion and beyond at all visits compared to the low-HAQ group, and 24% of all individual patients in the high-HAQ group had a HAQ score ≥1 at inclusion. Although the DAS-28 improved in both groups, patients in the high-HAQ group also had significantly more persistent disability according to the SF-36: five scales at each follow-up visit and all eight scales at the majority of the visits. Individual RA patients with HAQ ≥1 probably have considerable persistent disabilities according to the SF-36. The HAQ score could be used as a clinical indicator suggesting comprehensive multidisciplinary assessments of the components of disability and corresponding interventions, in addition to the established use of HAQ at group levels and in parallel with the medication strategy based on DAS-28.
4.
Hallert, Eva, et al.
(författare)
Development of disease activity and disability in women and men with early rheumatoid arthritis: 8 years of follow-up from the Swedish TIRA-project
2010
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt) abstract
Background: Previous studies have reported that disability is strongly associated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disability at time of diagnosis has also proved to be a consistent predictor of disability over time.Objectives: To investigate the course of disease activity and disability over 8 years in early RA and to analyse differences between women and men.Methods: 149 patients with disease duration <1 year were included in the Swedish early RA-cohort "TIRA". Patients were followed prospectively for 8 years from the time of diagnosis. Disease activity was assessed by DAS28. Disability was measured by pain (VAS), grip force (Grippit), 'grip ability test' (GAT), range of motion in hand, upper and lower extremity (SOFI), walking speed and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Changes over time and differences between women and men were evaluated.Results: Disease activity decreased over time from inclusion to the 8-year follow-up for both women and men. Disability as measured by SOFI (hand, upper and lower extremity) and walking time was improved during the first year after diagnosis but at the 7 and 8 year follow-up, the level of disability was comparable to the level at inclusion. Pain, grip force and GAT were also improved during the first years but thereafter remained stable. HAQ scores were similar in men and women at inclusion. After initial improvement, HAQ remained at a stable level in men, while scores for women deteriorated from year 2 onwards and had reached back to baseline levels at 8 year follow-up. More disability in women than men was also seen in grip force whereas men had more disability than women in SOFI upper extremity. There were no significant differences between women and men in disease activity or disability as measured by VAS pain, GAT, SOFI hand or SOFI lower extremity during the 8-year follow-up.Conclusion: Although disease activity was well managed, disability deteriorated over 8 years with a less favourable course in women than men. Besides controlling disease activity, there is accordingly a need for regular assessments to detect and prevent progressing disability in RA-patients, not only in the early phase of disease, but also over the following years
5.
Thyberg, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
HAQ scores related to persistent disabilities 8 years efter diagnosis of RA despite reduction of DAS-28. : The Swedish TIRA study
2011
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat) abstract
Background: Early instituted disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARD:s) leads to reduced disease activity. Critical levels of disease activity measured with Disease Activity Score 28 joint count (DAS-28) are widely used to identify needs and evaluate outcomes of DMARD:s. Early instituted DMARD:s also reduce disability, but some patients still have disabilities and there is a need to establish clinically useful routines to identify patients with different disabilities, and thereby possible unmet needs for rehabilitation as a complement to their medication.Objectives: To discriminate sub-groups of patients due to HAQ levels and relate these sub-groups to disease activity and more comprehensive aspects of disability.Methods: 132 patients (68% women) with recent-onset (≤1 year) RA who fulfilled ≥4/7 RA classification criteria or at least: morning stiffness ≥60 minutes, symmetrical arthritis, and arthritis of small joints, and included in the Swedish TIRA-1 cohort during 1996-1998, constituted the study group. All patients had access to rehabilitation and regular contact with a multi-professional team, but there were no standardized criteria for further assessments or interventions. Anti-CCP antibodies were analysed. Disease activity (DAS-28), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Short Form 36 (SF-36) and ongoing DMARD:s were registered at inclusion and thereafter yearly. In the presented analysis, the study group was divided into a high-HAQ group (score≥1) and a low-HAQ group (score<1) based on the HAQ score at the 8 year follow-up (1).Results: The sub-group of 48 patients (36%) with a HAQ score ≥1 at the 8 year follow-up had a higher mean HAQ score already at inclusion and further on at all visits compared to the low-HAQ group. 32 patients (24%) had high HAQ-score both at inclusion and at Year 8. Also, more comprehensive aspects of disability reported with the 8 dimensions of SF-36 differed significantly between these sub-groups at the majority of the visits. Age and Anti-CCP did not differ between sub-groups while the high-HAQ group had a higher DAS-28 at most visits except at inclusion. In accordance with known sex differences, the majority of the patients in the high-HAQ group were women. Despite higher frequencies of DMARD:s, the HAQ-score in the high-HAQ group showed a persistent divergence in contrast to the improvement in the low-HAQ group, and in contrast to the DAS-28 that showed improvement over time in both groups. Thus, a HAQ score ≥1 at the 8 year follow-up indicated persistent and comprehensive disabilities, and supposed needs for more effective or more specific rehabilitation as a complement to the medication in 36% of the study group.Conclusions: The HAQ-score is clinically useful as a complement to DAS-28, especially to identify patients with unmet needs for further rehabilitation assessments.
