Depression and Anxiety Reduce the Probability of Achieving a State of Sustained Minimal Disease Activity in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis
Antonio Wong, Justine Y. Ye, Richard J. Cook, Dafna D. Gladman, Vinod Chandran
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether the presence of depression or anxiety is associated with the achievement of sustained minimal disease activity (MDA) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHODS: Adult patients satisfying classification criteria for PsA prospectively followed from 2008 to 2017 were included. A standard protocol including physician assessment and patient-reported outcomes determined whether patients achieved sustained MDA, which was defined as meeting MDA criteria for ≥2 consecutive visits. The presence of depression/anxiety was determined using 3 definitions: 1) a score of ≤38 on the mental component summary of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey, 2) a score of ≤56 on the mental health domain of the SF-36 health survey, and 3) a rheumatologist's report of a diagnosis or treatment for depression/anxiety. A discrete time-to-event analysis was conducted based on a proportional odds model to identify factors associated with achieving sustained MDA. RESULTS: A total of 743 patients were included in the study. The number of patients identified as having depression/anxiety at baseline included 331 patients (44.54%) according to definition 1, 364 patients (48.99%) according to definition 2, and 211 patients (28.4%) according to definition 3. A total of 337 patients (45.36%) did not achieve sustained MDA. The presence of depression/anxiety was associated with reduced probability of achieving sustained MDA, with odds ratio (OR) 0.30 (P < 0.0001), OR 0.34 (P < 0.0001), and OR 0.47 (P < 0.0001) for definitions 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Other variables associated with a reduced probability of achieving sustained MDA included the Charlson comorbidity index and fibromyalgia. CONCLUSION: Symptoms of anxiety/depression reduce the probability of achieving sustained MDA in PsA. Comprehensive management of PsA should include measures for addressing these comorbidities.