Impact of biologic DMARDs on quality of life: 12-month results of a rheumatic diseases cohort using the Brazilian EQ-5D tariff.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association between biological Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs) use and quality of life (QoL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

We evaluated adult patients prescribed biological DMARDs whose quality of life was evaluated at six and 12 months. The EuroQol 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) was used with the Brazilian tariff.

RESULTS

Patients receiving bDMARDs had significant improvements in quality of life after 6 and 12 months (p < 0.001), regardless of the rheumatic condition and the therapeutic regimen (bDMARDs vs bDMARDs plus synthetic DMARDs) (ANCOVA; p > 0.05). At the end of one year, 62.6% of the participants presented significant clinical improvement in QoL. According to a sensitivity analysis, QoL results in the complete case analysis and in the multiple imputation model yielded similar conclusions. Patients with two or more comorbidities and worse QoL and disability status on baseline presented worse QoL at 12 months when compared to those with better disability status on baseline. Baseline clinical disease measured by activity indexes (BASDAI and CDAI) did not influence QoL after 12 months of bDMARD treatment. Pain and malaise were the EQ-5D domain that most influenced quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis displayed significantly better QoL levels following treatment with DMARDs.