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The following is a summary of “Rising? trends in Anxiety and Depression among Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Giblon et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine trends in anxiety and depression over 3 decades in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 

They identified patients with incident RA (age >18 years, meeting 1987 ACR criteria, 1985-2014) through the Rochester Epidemiology Project and matched them 1:1 with non-RA comparators by age, sex, and calendar year. They followed patients until death, migration, or 12/31/2020, defining depression and anxiety using ICD9/10 codes. They used Cox models to compare trends in depression, anxiety, and co-occurring diagnoses by decade and RA status, adjusting for confounders like age and sex. 

The results showed that the study included 1,012 individuals with RA and 1,012 matched controls (mean age 55.9 years; 68.38% female). HR revealed an increase in anxiety and co-occurring anxiety and depression from 2005-2014 compared to 1985-1994 in both groups. Individuals with RA showed a significant rise in anxiety (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.86-1.88) and co-occurring anxiety and depression (HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.96-2.33), with the most notable trends in seropositive patients with RA (HR for anxiety: 4.01; 95% CI: 2.21-7.30). 

Investigators concluded that individuals with RA had increased diagnoses of anxiety and co-occurring anxiety and depression, indicating a widening gap in mental health care that clinicians need to address. 

Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2024/10/09/jrheum.2024-0165