Health concerns of patients with rheumatoid arthritis during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Introduction. Rheumatoid arthritis is a symmetrical polyarticular arthritis that primarily affects the small joints of the hands and feet. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a significantly higher risk of developing serious infections that require hospitalization. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was declared in 2019. The aim of this study was to examine the concerns of patients with rheumatoid arthritis during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Material and Methods. A prospective, randomized, cross-sectional study included 127 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biological therapy at the Special Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Novi Sad, Serbia. Data were obtained by a questionnaire that included three sections: general information, data on the disease, and health concerns before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The data were collected in the period from 1 to 31 October, 2021. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Ver. 25.0. Results. A total of 127 respondents participated in the study, 108 women (85%) and 19 men (15%). The average age of participants was 54.26 years. The statistical analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences among the respondents in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, and that they all showed approximately the same level of concern for themselves and their loved ones during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Among the participants with rheumatoid arthritis, the health concerns during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic were more pronounced in patients with associated diseases: high blood pressure (3.43 [SD = 1.07] vs. 3.01 [SD = 1.09]; p < 0.05), heart failure (3.92 [SD = 0.82] vs. 3.07 [SD = 1.09]; p < 0.05) and thyroid disease (3.82 [SD = 0.97] vs. 3.04 [SD = 1.08]; p < 0.01), compared to those without comorbidities. The total health concerns of the respondents were higher during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (3.16 [SD = 0.40] vs. 2.93 [SD = 0.35]; p < 0.001). Conclusion. The respondents expressed greater health concerns for both themselves and their loved ones during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.