New research suggests it's a brighter world for people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than it was 20 years ago.
According to the study "anxiety, depressed mood and physical disability" associated with the condition have been cut in half over the past two decades, a Wiley news release reported.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about one percent of the global population experiences swelling in the joints associate with RA, the news release reported.
RA is a "systemic autoimmune disease" that can lead to significant disability and impairment.
"Earlier diagnosis, more intensive interventions along with recommendations to live a full life and to be physically active may help improve daily living for those with RA," lead author, Cécile L. Overman, a Ph.D. Candidate with the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University in The Netherlands, said in the news release. "Our study examined if psychological distress and physical disability in RA patients reduced over the last two decades."
The research team looked at 1151 patients that had been diagnosed with RA between the years of 1990 and 2011. The participants were between the ages of 17 and 86 and 68 percent were female. The team observed the patients for up to five years.
The team's data found that 20 years ago "23% of RA patients reported anxiety, 25% depressed mood, and 53% had physical disability compared to 12%, 14% and 31%, respectively, today," the news release reported.
The team believes the low numbers could be thanks to a decrease in disease activity as well.
"Our study determined that currently, 1 out of 4 newly diagnosed RA patients are disabled after the first four years of treatment; while 20 years ago, that figure was higher at 2 out of 4 patients," concludes Ms. Overman. "Today, RA patients have a better opportunity of living a valued life than patients diagnosed with this autoimmune disease two decades ago."
