Factors influencing the quality of life of women with rheumatoid arthritis in Indonesia

IntroductionRheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is one of the highest contributors to disabilities in the world. RA causes both physical and mental problems, which can lead to a worsening of their quality of life (QoL). To date, no study has evaluated factors associated with the quality of life of women with RA, especially in Indonesia.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study of 90 women with RA who seek treatment in an Allergy Immunology Outpatient Clinic, in February-July 2022, using interviews, clinical laboratory examinations, medical record evaluations, and a 12-item QoL short form (SF-12). The results were analyzed with the Mann Whitney-U test for bivariate analysis and linear regression for multivariate.ResultsA significant relationship was found in monthly income (p=0.002) and RA disease control (p=0.013) variables toward Physical Component Summary (PCS). Meanwhile, for Mental Component Summary (MCS), a significant relationship was only found in the control of RA disease (p=0.009). After an adjustment with multivariate analysis, monthly income and control of RA continued to have an independent effect on PCS (p=0.003 and p=0.01), and control of RA also had an independent effect on MCS (p=0.001).ConclusionThe quality of life of women with RA in Indonesia is good in the mental component but poor in the physical dimension. Monthly income has a significant effect on PCS and has an independent effect on PCS. In addition, disease control has a significant and independent effect on PCS and MCS.