Study: Social Support Key to Quality of Life With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Knowing little about rheumatoid arthritis does not necessarily mean that sufferers of this disease will have a diminished quality of life, according to study reported in the April 15 issue of Arthritis Care and Research.

Instead, a team of Irish researchers found that what is really important in determining whether rheumatoid arthritis sufferers live as well as they can is the support they receive from family and friends who act as their primary caregivers.

Fifty-eight women rheumatoid arthritis sufferers between the ages of 40 and 60 years and their caregivers filled out a questionnaire designed to determine their knowledge of the disease and its treatment. The arthritis sufferers also completed questionnaires on their health status and satisfaction with social support from their primary caregiver.

Although the caregivers and patients generally had limited knowledge of rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment, the researchers found that this did not effect the patients' quality of life measures.

Patients reporting the highest levels of satisfaction had the most social support from family and friends.

The researchers acknowleged that their failure to detect an association between knowledge of disease and lower quality of life could have been influenced by the relatively small study numbers.

Other sources: Arthritis Care & Research, 49: 2; 221-227