Abstract
Aim: to study the influence of pulmonary pathology on the quality of life (QoL) in patients suffering with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods: 58 patients with RA (42 women, middle age 57,1± 3,17) were investigated by routine, clinical, functional tests and were divided into 2 groups:1'st – 31 patients who had the respiratory discomfort (breathlessness, cough) and 27 patients without respiratory symptoms (and any disturbanses of the function of external breathing). Spirometry, saturation, weakness of respiratory muscles, multispiral CT-scan were used for assessing of clinical and functional parameters of respiratory status and St. George Respiratory Questionaire (SGRQ) for assessing QoL.
Results. Significant decreasing of the QoL for patients with RA in comparison with patients of the control group and the general population: the low level of QoL was registered in all scales in the patients of the 1-st group - (Symptoms 68,8± 4,41, Activity - 60,21± 3,45, Conseqences - 63,42 ±4,11, total score was correspondently decreased: 49,54± 2,12. Primary reason of lowering indexes of the SGRQ in patients with RA was a dyspnea. Established multifactor origin of dyspnea in patients with RA upon significant role of lung pathology, which registered in RA-patients.
Conclusions: pulmonary pathology shows unpleasant effect on QoL and level of general health of patient with RA, significantly decreased them. The perspective direction for increasing the QoL for patients with RA with pulmonary pathology depends on saving the respiratory function of lungs, adequate control of the activity of the RA, correction of violations of psychoemotional disorders and depressive level of patients.
- © 2012 ERS