Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Factors associated with functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Rheumatology International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To determine factors associated with functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 100 RA patients were reviewed retrospectively. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate associations between the dependent variable (health assessment questionnaire) and independent variables (age, disease duration, hand grip strength values, VAS and DAS-28 scores). Main factors associated with functional disability were disease activity score as reflected in a high score on the DAS-28 (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) and disease duration (r = 0.23, p < 0.05). Increased age, decreased grip strength and high pain level were associated with lower functional ability, but none of these was a predictor of disability in the regression model. The results indicate that age, disease duration, disease activity, pain intensity and hand grip strength are related to physical disability in patients with RA. However, only disease activity has an impact on physical function. Thus, treatment of RA patients should focus on early inhibition of disease activity in order to achieve a good functional outcome.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Leonardi M, Bickenbach J, Ustun TB et al (2006) MHADIE consortium. The definition of disability: what is in a name? Lancet 368:1219–1221. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69498-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bruce B, Fries JF (2003) The stanford health assessment questionnaire: dimensions and practical applications. Health Qual Life Outcomes 1:20–25. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-1-20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wolfe F, Michaud K, Gefeller O et al (2003) Predicting mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 48:1530–1542. doi:10.1002/art.11024

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Jansen LMA, van Schaardenburg D, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE et al (2000) Predictors of functional status in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 59:223–226. doi:10.1136/ard.59.3.223

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kucukdeveci AA, Sahin H, Ataman S et al (2004) Issues in cross-cultural validity: example from the adaptation, reliability, and validity testing of a Turkish version of the Stanford health assessment questionnaire. Arthritis Rheum 51:14–19. doi:10.1002/art.20091

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Mathiowetz V, Weber K, Volland C et al (1984) Reliability and validity of grip and pinch strength evaluations. J Hand Surg [Am] 9:222–226

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Smolen JS, Breedveld FC, Eberl G et al (1995) Validity and reliability or the twenty-eight-joint count for the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis activity. Arthritis Rheum 38:38–43. doi:10.1002/art.1780380106

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lillegraven S, Kvien TK (2007) Measuring disability and quality of life in established rheumatoid arthritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 21:827–840. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2007.05.004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Aletaha D, Ward MM, Machold KP et al (2005) Remission and active disease in rheumatoid arthritis: defining criteria for disease activity states. Arthritis Rheum 52:2625–2636. doi:10.1002/art.21235

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Benitha R, Tikly M (2007) Functional disability and health-related quality of life in South Africans with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Rheumatol 26:24–29. doi:10.1007/s10067-006-0215-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Tengstrand B, Ahlmén M, Hafström I (2004) The influence of sex on rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective study of onset and outcome after 2 years. J Rheumatol 31:214–222

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Gossec L, Baro-Riba J, Bozonnat MC et al (2005) Influence of sex on disease severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol 32:1448–1451

    Google Scholar 

  13. Häkkinen A, Kautiainen H, Hannonen P et al (2006) Muscle strength, pain, and disease activity explain individual subdimensions of the health assessment questionnaire disability index, especially in women with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 65:30–34. doi:10.1136/ard.2004.034769

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kuiper S, van Gestel AM, Swinkels HL et al (2001) Influence of sex, age, and menopausal state on the course of early rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol 28:1809–1816

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hallert E, Thyberg I, Hass U et al (2003) Comparison between women and men with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis of disease activity and functional ability over two years (the TIRA project). Ann Rheum Dis 62:667–670. doi:10.1136/ard.62.7.667

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sokka T, Krishnan E, Häkkinen A, Hannonen P (2003) Functional disability in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with a community population in Finland. Arthritis Rheum 48:59–63. doi:10.1002/art.10731

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Plant MJ, O’Sullivan MM, Lewis PA et al (2005) What factors influence functional ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Do they alter over time? Rheumatology (Oxford) 44:1181–1185. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keh707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Welsing PM, van Gestel AM, Swinkels HL et al (2001) The relationship between disease activity and radiologic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal analysis. Arthritis Rheum 44:2009–2017. doi 10.1002/1529-0131(200109)44:9<2009::AID-ART349>3.0.CO;2-L

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Möttönen T, Paimela L, Leirisalo-Repo M et al (1998) Only high disease activity and positive rheumatoid factor indicate poor prognosis in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis treated with “sawtooth” strategy. Ann Rheum Dis 57:533–539

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Drossaers-Bakker KW, de Buck M, van Zeben D et al (1999) Long-term course and outcome of functional capacity in rheumatoid arthritis: the effect of disease activity and radiologic damage over time. Arthritis Rheum 42:1854–1860. doi 10.1002/1529-0131(199909)42:9<1854::AID-ANR9>3.0.CO;2-F

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Verstappen SM, Jacobs JW, Huisman AM et al (2007) Functional health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and psychological HAQ are associated with and predicted by different factors in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol 34:1837–1840

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Thyberg I, Hass UA, Nordenskiöld U et al (2005) Activity limitation in rheumatoid arthritis correlates with reduced grip force regardless of sex: the Swedish TIRA project. Arthritis Rheum 53:886–896. doi:10.1002/art.21595

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Syddall H, Cooper C, Martin F et al (2003) Is grip strength a useful single marker of frailty? Age Ageing 32:650–656. doi:10.1093/ageing/afg111

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author thank Salih Ergöçen (Department of Biostatistics, Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey) for the stimulating discussions concerning the statistical methods.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ankara State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Öznur Öken, Güzide Batur, Rukiye Gündüz & Rezan Z. Yorgancıoğlu

Authors
  1. Öznur Öken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Güzide Batur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rukiye Gündüz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rezan Z. Yorgancıoğlu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Öznur Öken.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Öken, Ö., Batur, G., Gündüz, R. et al. Factors associated with functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 29, 163–166 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-008-0661-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-008-0661-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation