Article Text
PDF
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic causes concern among patients with autoimmune and rheumatic disease (ARD) due to increased risk of infection and heightened isolation from social distancing.1
Objectives Examine how mean patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores for mental, social and physical health fluctuated after COVID-19 vaccine availability was widespread in US.
Methods We conducted and reported on2 an initial analysis of January 2020 – April 2021 where US participants (pts) of the ArthritisPower (AP) registry completed PROMIS measures of physical health (Physical Function, Pain Interference, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance), mental health (Anger, Anxiety, Depression) and social health (Social Isolation, Emotional Support). Follow-up analysis was conducted May – December 2021. Only pts from initial analysis were included in follow-up. Null hypothesis was no change in monthly average scores across 23-month pandemic period. Analysis of means compared monthly assessment mean scores to overall mean score for each measure during study period. Pts with < 2 assessment time points and osteoarthritis with no ARD were excluded from analysis.
Results Total of 49,940 PRO scores were contributed by 2,266 pts during 23-month period, with 8,393 of the scores contributed from May – December 2021. Mean (standard deviation, SD) number of observations per pt was 5.6 (12.5). Pts were 87.6% female, 86.7% white, mean age of 52.1 (12.7) years. Rheumatoid arthritis (n=1,131, 49.9%) was the most common condition. Most commonly reported measures were Pain Interference, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance and Physical Function, each with >11,000 total results (Table 1).
Avg assessment scores+ by month, mean (SD)
Pts’ mental and social health assessment scores improved then worsened during last 8 months of 2021 (Figure 1). Overall mean scores were: Anxiety 62.4 (12.5), Social Isolation 61.9 (10.5), and Anger 61.5 (12.8). From July – August, Social Isolation decreased by 1 SD. Compared to overall assessment mean, Anger declined by > ½ SD (53.3 [19.4]) in August and Anxiety declined by ½ SD (57.7 [11.3]) in September. By December, Anger rose by > ½ SD (68.6 [5.0]) of assessment mean. Pain Interference (mean: 63.3 [7.8]), Fatigue (62.6 [9.5]), and Sleep Disturbance (58.1 [9.0]) scores were significantly lower in May, June, July and August compared to the assessment mean, though none decreased by > ½ SD.
Conclusion ARD members of AP had mental, social and physical health scores improve during summer of 2021, corresponding with widespread availability of vaccines. However mental and social health scores worsened by December as US faced new variants of the virus.
References [1]George M, et al. Rheumatol. 2021;48:603-7.
[2]Gavigan K, et al. Arth Rheumatol. 2021;73(suppl 10).
Acknowledgements This work was partially supported through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award (PPRN-1306-04811). All statements in this poster, including its findings and conclusions, are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI, its Board of Governors or Methodology Committee.
Disclosure of Interests Kelly Gavigan: None declared, Esteban Rivera: None declared, Jeffrey R. Curtis Consultant of: Gilead, Novartis, and Samsung, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Corrona, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Shilpa Venkatachalam: None declared, Laura Stradford: None declared, David Curtis: None declared, W. Benjamin Nowell Grant/research support from: William B. Nowell is the Principal Investigator on grants/contracts from AbbVie, Eli Lilly and Company, and PCORI, and an employee of the Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF). GHLF receives grants, sponsorships and contracts from pharmaceutical manufacturers and private foundations. A full list of GHLF funders is publicly available here: https://www.ghlf.org/our-partners/.