Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun;4(1):195-200.
doi: 10.1007/s40744-017-0058-2. Epub 2017 Mar 20.

Depression Risk in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United Kingdom

Louis Jacob  1 , Timo Rockel  2 , Karel Kostev  3
Affiliations

Depression Risk in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United Kingdom

Louis Jacob et al. Rheumatol Ther. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases. The goal of this study was to analyze the risk of depression in patients diagnosed with RA and treated by general practitioners in the UK.

Methods: The present study included patients first diagnosed with RA between 2000 and 2014 (index date). Individuals were excluded if they had also been diagnosed with depression or if they had received therapy for depression at or prior to the index date. The primary outcome measure was the rate of patients with depression (ICD 10: F32, 33) within 5 years of the RA diagnosis. Demographic data included gender and age. Furthermore, a revised version of the Charlson comorbidity index was used as a generic marker of comorbidity.

Results: A total of 4187 patients were included in the study. After 5 years of follow-up, 23.7% of men and 36.5% of women had developed depression (log rank p value <0.001). Women were more likely to develop depression than men (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.42-1.84). Age and Charlson comorbidity score had no significant impact on the risk of being diagnosed with this psychiatric disorder.

Conclusion: Around 30% of RA patients developed depression within 5 years of the RA diagnosis. The depression risk was higher in women than in men. The current findings also indicate that improved detection and treatment of patients with both RA and depression are important.

Keywords: Depression; Rheumatoid arthritis; Risk factors; United Kingdom.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Kaplan–Meier curves for time to depression diagnosis in newly diagnosed RA patients by gender
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Smolen JS, Aletaha D, McInnes IB. Rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet. 2016;388(10055):2023–2038. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30173-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. WHO. Chronic rheumatic conditions. WHO. 2015. http://www.who.int/chp/topics/rheumatic/en/(cited 2015 Jul 24).
    1. Glauser TA, Ruderman EM, Kummerle D, Kelly S. Current practice patterns and educational needs of rheumatologists who manage patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Ther. 2014;1(1):31–44. doi: 10.1007/s40744-014-0004-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Symmons D, Turner G, Webb R, Asten P, Barrett E, Lunt M, et al. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the United Kingdom: new estimates for a new century. Rheumatology. 2002;41(7):793–800. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/41.7.793. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Matcham F, Scott IC, Rayner L, Hotopf M, Kingsley GH, Norton S, et al. The impact of rheumatoid arthritis on quality-of-life assessed using the SF-36: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2014;44(2):123–130. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2014.05.001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources