Effects of Conventional and Biological Drugs Used for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Quality of Life and Depression

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of conventional and biological drugs used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on patients' quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 patients with a diagnosis of RA based on the American College of Rheumatology/Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) 2010 diagnostic criteria were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups as follows: patients using conventional disease-modifying agents (csDMARDs) alone (Group 1, n=40) and patients using biological disease-modifying agents (bDMARDs) and a csDMARD combination (Group 2, n=40). Demographical patient data were collected. The levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) were measured in both groups. All patients completed the Disease Activity Score (DAS28), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Beck Depression Scale (BDS), and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups of patients regarding their demographical characteristics, autoantibody positivity, or DAS scores (p>0.05). HAQ scores and all parameters and summary scores of the SF-36, BDS, and HADS scores were not significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Results of the present study showed that csDMARDs and bDMARDs, which required a more invasive administration and were associated with serious side effects, were not superior to each other in terms of their effects on patients' quality of life. csDMARD and bDMARD were also not superior to each other regarding their effects on anxiety and depression among patients with RA.