Quality of life in spondyloarthritis: analysis of a large Brazilian cohort.
To analyze quality of life and demographic and clinical variables associated to its impairment in a large Brazilian cohort of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA).



A common protocol of investigation was applied to 1465 Brazilian patients classified as SpA according to the European Spondyloarthropaties Study Group (ESSG) criteria, attended at 29 reference centers for Rheumatology in Brazil. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded. Quality of life was analyzed through the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire.



The mean ASQoL score was 7.74 (+5.39). When analyzing the specific diseases in the SpA group, the ASQoL scores did not present statistical significance. Demographic data showed worse scores of ASQoL associated with female gender (p=0.014) and African-Brazilian ethnicity (p<0.001). The analysis of the clinical symptoms showed that buttock pain (p=0.032), cervical pain (p<0.001) and hip pain (p=0.001) were statistically associated with worse scores of ASQoL. Continuous use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (p<0.001) and biologic agents (p=0.044) were associated with higher scores of ASQoL, while the other medications did not interfere with the ASQoL scores.



In this large series of patients with SpA, female gender and African-Brazilian ethnicity, as well as predominant axial symptoms, were associated with impaired quality of life.
Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
Sandra L E
SL
Ribeiro
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Elisa N
EN
Albuquerque
Instituto Insper de Educação e Pesquisa, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Adriana B
AB
Bortoluzzo
Disciplina de Reumatologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Célio R
CR
Gonçalves
Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
José Antonio Braga
JA
da Silva
Hospital Geral de Goiânia, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
Antonio Carlos
AC
Ximenes
Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Manoel B
MB
Bértolo
Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Mauro
M
Keiserman
Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.
Rita
R
Menin
Hospital Evangélico de Curitiba, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Thelma L
TL
Skare
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Sueli
S
Carneiro
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Valderílio F
VF
Azevedo
Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Walber P
WP
Vieira
Santa Casa do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Washington A
WA
Bianchi
Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Rubens
R
Bonfiglioli
Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Cristiano
C
Campanholo
Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Hellen M S
HM
Carvalho
Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
Izaias P
IP
Costa
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Angela L B Pinto
AL
Duarte
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Charles L
CL
Kohem
Faculdade de Medicina Souza Marques, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Nocy H
NH
Leite
Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Sonia A L
SA
Lima
Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Eduardo S
ES
Meirelles
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
Ivânio A
IA
Pereira
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Marcelo M
MM
Pinheiro
Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Elizandra
E
Polito
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Gustavo G
GG
Resende
Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Francisco Airton C
FA
Rocha
Escola de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
Mittermayer B
MB
Santiago
Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
Maria de Fátima L C
Mde F
Sauma
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
Valéria
V
Valim
Disciplina de Reumatologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: pdsampaiobarros@uol.com.br.
Percival D
PD
Sampaio-Barros
D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*
ASQoL; Ankylosing spondylitis; Espondilite anquilosante; Espondiloartrite; Qualidade de vida; Quality of life; Spondyloarthritis