The impact of therapy with TNF-blockers on health-related quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis patients. A pilot study

Abstract Introduction The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the initial response to 16 weeks of treatment with infliximab and etanercept of disease activity and quality of life in a cohort of 37 patients with established rheumatoid arthritis. Patients and method Patients were selected from the Unit of Rheumatology in Hospital Clinico San Cecilio from Granada, refractory to conventional treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. To assess the disease activity, Disease activity score (DAS28) was used and the measurement of quality of life was evaluated with the Spanish version of the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the RA-specific questionnaire QoL Scale (Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis). Results Preliminary results show a significant decrease in inflammatory activity of the disease and consequently in HRQL scores. The comparison with the general reference population shows a deviation well below average, especially in the “physical function” dimension with a rising response pattern in all dimensions. The correlation between specific scores (QoL-RA scale) and generic ones (SF-36) for HQ-treatment also showed significance, especially with the physical aggregate. Discussion An important limitation of the present study is the number of patients and the duration of the treatment; despite this, improvements in functional parameters and quality of life are evident and remain roughly stable since the first weeks of treatment. This allows us to continue the study and increase the number of patients. Conclusions The preliminary results obtained with TNF-blockers after 16 weeks of treatment in RA objectively show the effectiveness of these drugs and also the perception by the patients of the effect on their quality of life.