title: [Prevalence and depression degree in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Study goals were: a) to know the existence and depressive level among a series of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients; b) to assess differences in depression levels of individuals with and without RA, and c) to identify the association of depression level with socioepidemiological, clinical, and prognostic characteristics in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study that undertakes a 3 years period (July 1992-March 1995) and includes 221 patients diagnosed of RA according to the 1988 criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Association of depression levels, assessed with the Self-Rating Depression Scale of Zung-Conde, with each one of the variables was evaluated using chi 2 tests (p < 0.05). A multivariate analysis type Automatic Interaction Detection (AID), based on the statistic r2, was applied to determine patient's profile with RA and depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depressive level was identified in 33.48% of patients. Odds ratio (OR) between "not depressive" and "depressive" levels was from 20.35 with 95% CI: 8.87-47.88 (p < 0.00001). Association was found with the variables sex (p < 0.0001), profession (p = 0.02), weight and height (p < 0.0001 in both variables), Ritchie index (p < 0.004), number of painful joints (p = 0.002), morning stiffness (p = 0.049) and secondary effects of the treatment (p = 0.034). Sex was the variable that most influenced in depressive level (p < 0.00001). In females group, the factor mainly related with depression was the number of painful joints (p < 0.0002) while in males, it was the self-rating pain valuation with a Likert scale (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RA could causes depression in the patients. The factor with highest influence in the depression of these patients was the sex. The most influential factor in the females was the number of painful joints, while in the males was the self-rating of pain.
authors.affiliation: Servicio Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pastor Oliver
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morales Suárez-Varela
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Llopis González
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferriol Casar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
vernacular_title: Prevalencia y grado de depresión en los pacientes con artritis reumatoide.