Research explores link between mental health and rheumatoid arthritis

 A new study has gone further towards ensuring people living with both rheumatoid arthritis and mental health problems get the best treatment for them.Rheumatoid arthritis affects the whole body, but we know that it can also have an impact on a person’s mental health. Around a third of the 400,000 people in the UK with rheumatoid arthritis also experience mental health issues. This compares to around 1 in 4 people in the general population.The way rheumatoid arthritis is treated was revolutionised by the discovery of anti-TNF drugs– now widely used in medical practice. Better treatments have led to more people achieving remission. But, while there has been much research into how these drugs improve physical health and reduce joint damage, little is known about their impact on people’s quality of life.Emerging evidence suggests that there are similarities between the biological processes that cause rheumatoid arthritis and those underlying depression. This presents the possibility that existing treatments could do more to improve the quality of life of people with arthritis– in terms of both their physical and mental health.In a bid to improve the way arthritis and mental health problems are treated Dr Sam Norton, Dr Faith Matcham and colleagues at King's College London recently published a review of clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers looked at how often mental health was assessed in these trials, how drug treatment affected p...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news