Depression Strikes Four Out of 10 Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Almost four out of every 10 women with varying stages of rheumatoid arthritis also have depression or depression-like symptoms, according to a study reported in the May-June issue of Psychosomatics.

A team of British researchers examined arthritic damage, disability, psychological well-being and social stresses among 74 women with various degrees of rheumatoid arthritis. About 40 percent of the women were diagnosed as having either definite or borderline depression or anxiety disorders.

The researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis patients who were suffering from full-blown depression were stressed not only due to their illness, but also because of other things going on in their lives such as divorce, caring for a sick loved one, loneliness or social stress.

Depressed patients were significantly more likely to belong to a lower socioeconomic class. However, no significant link between depression and the severity of physical problems experienced by the patients was found.

The findings should lead to more appropriate depression treatments for rheumatoid arthritis patients that focus on factors beyond the disease, concluded study author Chris Dickens, Ph.D., of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Other sources: Psychosomatics