The Role of Sex, Perceived Pain, and Illness Perceptions in Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Background: In the “treating to target” strategy for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) management, “cognitive” beyond “physical” measures allow a more comprehensive assessment. Objective: This study reported a predictive analysis of patients on disease activity and the degree to which these predictions could be uniquely attributable to Illness Perception (IP), pain, and sex differences. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 108 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis aged 18 to 65 years old, selected via convenience sampling. Measurements were done using Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints (DAS28), patient’s Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for perceived pain. Data were analyzed applying Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients and Multiple Stepwise Regression (MSR). Results: In correlation analysis, the sex- Disease Activity association (0.40, P