title: Poorer functionality is related to better quality of life response following the use of biological drugs: 6-month outcomes in a prospective cohort from the Public Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: We aim to analyze factors associated with the quality of life (QOL) response of individuals with rheumatic diseases treated by the Public Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde) with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). Data from 428 patients using bDMARDs were collected using a standardized form at baseline and 6 months after the onset of treatment. The average reduction of the scores on EuroQol-five dimension was 0.11 ± 0.18 6 months after the onset of treatment with bDMARDs, denoting significant improvement of the participants' QOL. All the investigated types of disease exhibited significant improvement at the 6-month assessment, without any difference among them (p = 0.965). The participants with baseline poorest functionality and best QOL exhibited the best QOL outcomes after 6 months of treatment. Our study showed that the use of biological drugs induced considerable improvement in the participants' QOL.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmácia Social, Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicamentos e Assistência Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, bloco 2, 1° andar, sala 1023. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: Haliton Alves
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Junior
authors.forename: Jéssica Barreto
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Francisco Assis
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Acurcio
authors.forename: Alessandra Maciel
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Adriana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kakehasi
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvares
authors.forename: Luis Fernando Duarte
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: Mariangela Leal
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cherchiglia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011634:Public Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents
keywords: EQ-5D; Public Health System; biological drugs; observational study; quality of life; rheumatic diseases