Prevalence of the neuropathic pain component in rheumatoid arthritis patients and its relationship to disease activity: a cross-sectional study

Authors : Derya Çırakoğlu

Pages : 847-851

Doi:10.32322/jhsm.1730961

View : 47 | Download : 79

Publication Date : 2025-09-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of the neuropathic pain (NP) component in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its effects on disease activity, functional status, and quality of life. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 120 individuals, including 60 patients diagnosed with RA and 60 age- and sex-matched controls. The disease activity score-28 (DAS-28) for disease activity, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, the painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ) for NP, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RA-QoL) for quality of life, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) for functional status were used to collect data. Results: The prevalence of NP was 63.3% (n=38) in the patient group and 6.7% (n=4) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p<0.001). The patient group was divided based on their PDQ scores into two subgroups consisting of those with unclear or likely NP symptoms (PDQ≥13) and those without NP symptoms (PDQ<13). The VAS-pain, DAS-28, HAQ, and RA-QoL scores of the subgroups with and without symptoms showed statistically significant differences (p<0.001). The PDQ scores of the patients were positively correlated with their DAS-28, VAS-pain, RA-QoL, and HAQ scores (p<0.001). Conclusion: In addition to nociceptive pain, RA patients also have non-negligible rates of NP. NP is associated with high disease activity, low quality of life, and limited functional capacity.
Keywords : Romatoid artrit, nöropatik ağrı, pain-DETECT, HAQ

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