Effects of illness perceptions on health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in China.

Objectives: For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China, little is known of how their illness perceptions affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The present study investigated associations between specific illness perceptions due to RA and HRQoL features.

Methods: For 191 patients with RA, illness perceptions were measured using the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ) comprising 8 domains. HRQoL was determined with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed.

Results: The overall BIPQ of patients with RA was 49.09 ± 11.06. The highest and lowest scores were for concern (9.15 ± 1.81) and personal control (4.30 ± 2.52), respectively. Multivariate stepwise regression analyses showed that the overall BIPQ was significantly negatively associated with each HRQoL feature, and HRQoL total score (β = - 0.343, P < 0.001, 95% CI - 7.080 to - 4.077). Positive associations between BIPQ features and HRQoL included personal control (β = 0.119, P = 0.004, 95% CI 2.857-14.194) and treatment control (β = 0.084, P = 0.029, 95% CI 0.640-12.391). Negative associations with HRQoL were identity (β = - 0.105, P = 0.034, 95% CI - 13.159 to - 0.430) and emotional response (β = - 0.207, P < 0.001, 95% CI - 18.334 to - 6.811).

Conclusions: Patients with RA in China perceive their illness in ways that affect their HRQoL. These results suggest that strategies that target these perceptions may improve the quality of life of these patients.