The Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Adult Patients in Basrah City, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is increasingly recognized as a global health burden. The global prevalence has increased markedly. It impairs daily activities, psychosocial patterns, and, hence, overall quality of life. Objective: To assess the overall quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with a control group and to assess the association of quality of life determinants with disease severity, type of medication used, and presence of comorbid diseases. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in the main rheumatology outpatient clinics in Basrah over a six-month period using a convenience sample of 62 adult patients with RA and 62 adult controls. A self-administered questionnaire was used, which included sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. Results: Most quality of life domains were significantly lower among rheumatoid patients. physical health (Median for RA=50), psychological health (Median for RA=58.33), and social health (Median for RA=66.66). No difference in environmental health (mean for RA=5.14). High disease activity affects both physical (Median=42.85) and psychological health (Mean=56.48) while not affecting social (Median=66.66) and environmental health (Mean=53.55). The type of medication does not affect the quality of life of rheumatoid patients (p>0.05 for all domains). Comorbidities do not affect the quality of life (p>0.05 for all domains). Conclusions: Rheumatoid arthritis impairs most quality of life domains among patients in Basrah compared with the control group, with the physical domain being the most affected, while the environmental domain was not affected.