Improvements in patient-reported outcomes, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and their association with clinical remission among patients with moderate-to-severe active early rheumatoid arthritis

• Published in: Rheumatology (Oxford, England) England), 2011-02, Vol.50 (2), p.401-409
• Main Authors: KEKOW, Joern, MOOTS, Robert, KHANDKER, Rezaul, MELIN, Jeffrey, FREUNDLICH, Bruce, SINGH, Amitabh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiety - psychology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Depression; Depression - etiology; Depression - psychology; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Drug Therapy, Combination; Etanercept; Health Status; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - therapeutic use; Inflammatory joint diseases; Logistic Models; Medical sciences; Methotrexate - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - therapeutic use; Remission Induction; Self Report; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1462-0324; 1462-0332
• DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keq327

To assess the association between clinical remission in RA and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including depression/anxiety symptoms, in adults with moderate-to-severe active early RA. Patients from the COmbination of Methotrexate and ETanercept in Active Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (COMET) trial (104 weeks) with measures on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline and subsequent visits (n = 389) were included. PROs investigated were the HAQ disability index, pain and fatigue visual analogue scales (VASs), EuroQoL health status VAS and the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 physical and mental component summaries. The impact of clinical remission as measured by 28-joint DAS (DAS-28) on depression/anxiety symptoms at Week 104 was assessed using logistic regression. Least square means for PRO improvements from baseline were estimated by analysis of covariance. Missing data were imputed using the last observation carried forward method. When depression/anxiety symptoms were absent at baseline, significantly more patients achieved clinical remission, low disease activity and normal functioning at Week 104. Reciprocally, patients who achieved clinical remission were less likely to maintain symptoms of depression or anxiety compared with non-remitters [depression odds ratio (OR): 0.35, P = 0.0233; anxiety OR: 0.48, P = 0.0371]. Fatigue and pain had a significant impact on changes in depression status, but did not influence anxiety status. Finally, clinical remission was significantly associated with improvements in all PRO measures (P