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Abstract Number: 2629

The Most Frequent Fears and Beliefs of 226 Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Spondyloarthritis, Using a Novel Questionnaire

Laure Gossec1,2, Pierre Chauvin3,4, Christophe Hudry5, Florence Mathoret-Philibert6, Maud Poussière7, Thibault de Chalus8, Francoise Russo-Marie9, Jean-Michel Joubert8, Alain Saraux10 and Francis Berenbaum1,11, 1Rheumatology Department, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, 2Rheumatology Department, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France, 3Department of Social Epidemiology, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, 4Department of Social Epidemiology, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Paris, France, 5Rheumatology, AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France, 6Clinical Psychology Department, AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France, 7Independent Researcher, Paris, France, 8UCB Pharma, Colombes, France, 9Arthritis Foundation Courtin, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 10Rheumatology Department, CHU de la Cavale Blanche, Brest Cedex, France, 11Rheumatology Department, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France

Meeting: ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2015

Date of first publication: September 29, 2015

Keywords: , , ,

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Title: Rheumatoid Arthritis - Clinical Aspects Poster Session III

Session Type: ACR Poster Session C

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Patients with chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) create personal sets of fears and beliefs related to their disease. These fears and beliefs may influence the patient-physician relationship and potentially treatment adherence. Little is known about these fears and beliefs in the era of biologics.1 The purpose of this study was to describe the most frequent fears and beliefs in RA and SpA patients. 

Methods:  These analyses used cross-sectional assessment of unselected patients with a diagnosis of RA (ACR/EULAR criteria) or axial SpA (axSpA)(ASAS criteria) in France in 2014. The study was proposed to all rheumatologists in France and consecutive patients recruited through the first 51 rheumatologists agreeing to participate. A self-reported 44-item questionnaire (25 items on fears, 19 on beliefs) was built and preliminarily validated for this study. Each item was scored 0–10 (10 indicating higher fears/beliefs).2 The analysis was descriptive for the 5 fears and the 5 beliefs, most frequently scored as ≥7/10, in both RA and axSpA patients.

Results:  Overall, 226 patients (161 RA and 65 axSpA; 64.4% female) were analyzed: patients had a mean disease duration of 11.9 vs 13.8 years and mean patient global assessment was 31/100 vs 41/100 for RA vs axSpA patients, respectively. Of 25 fear items, the 6 most frequently-reported fears were: “afraid of suffering again” (66.7% scored this as ≥7/10), “afraid of losing control and autonomy” (61.4%), “afraid of being a burden for relatives” (59.6%), “afraid of losing all joint mobility” (58.9%), “afraid of the spread of the disease to other joints” (58.6%) and “afraid of the consequences of my disease on my professional activity” (58.6%). Of 19 belief items, the 5 most frequently-reported beliefs were: “flares are triggered by fatigue” (41.7%), “physical activity reduces flares” (38.7%), “flares are triggered by changes in the weather” (37.3%), “flares are triggered by physical effort” (37.1%) and “the disease is linked to a genetic cause” (36.9%).

Conclusion:  This study highlights the main fears and beliefs from a patient perspective using a novel questionnaire specific for chronic inflammatory arthritis. Consistent work needs to be performed to better document the effect of these fears and beliefs on adherence, disease care and progression.

References: 

1. Gossec L. Rheumatology 2014;53(7):1274–8;

2. Berenbaum F. PLoS ONE 2014;9(12) [Epub]

Disclosure: L. Gossec, None; P. Chauvin, UCB Pharma, 5; C. Hudry, None; F. Mathoret-Philibert, None; M. Poussière, None; T. de Chalus, UCB Pharma, 3; F. Russo-Marie, None; J. M. Joubert, UCB Pharma, 3; A. Saraux, None; F. Berenbaum, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Gossec L, Chauvin P, Hudry C, Mathoret-Philibert F, Poussière M, de Chalus T, Russo-Marie F, Joubert JM, Saraux A, Berenbaum F. The Most Frequent Fears and Beliefs of 226 Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Spondyloarthritis, Using a Novel Questionnaire [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-most-frequent-fears-and-beliefs-of-226-patients-with-rheumatoid-arthritis-or-spondyloarthritis-using-a-novel-questionnaire/. Accessed .

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