The Evaluation Of Quality Of Life In Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis And Fibromyalgia As Compared With Quality Of Life In Normal Women.

Background and aim: Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common diseases all over the world. They cause pain, functional impairment, work disability, and affect individuals’ quality of life (QOL). Disorders such as fibromyalgia syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis constitute a large portion of these conditions. They are very common, especially in middle-aged and older women. Various studies have reported a significant decreased of QOL in these patients comparing with the normal population. This study aims at evaluation the QOL in women with these disorders in comparing with well-matched normal controls.Methods & Materials: In this case-control setting, 400 women aged 35-55 years were enrolled during a 12-month period in Clinics of Rheumatology affiliated to Tabriz University of medical Sciences. They categorized in four equal (100-case) groups: patients with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and healthy controls. The groups were matched for age, body mass index, education and occupation. The Persian version of SF-36 questionnaire was employed to assess the QOL. Different dimensions of QOL were compared between the groups. Results: Physical Functioning, Pain, mental Health, Vitality and physical Health were significantly better in the controls than all three patient groups. Emotional Role, vitality and mental Health in comparing the fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis groups, were significantly worse in the rheumatoid arthritis group. Comparing the fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis groups, all dimensions and groups of QOL were worse in fibromyalgia group. Comparing the rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis groups, Physical functioning, pain and physical health were significantly worse in rheumatoid arthritis group. The intra-group comparison showed that the physical health was worse than the mental health in controls. This was opposite in the rheumatoid arthritis group, with no significant difference in the fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis groups. Conclusion: This study showed that the QOL is negatively influenced by the musculoskeletal disorders. This condition is worse in fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis than the osteoarthritis.