Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and progressive autoimmune disease, which affects the joints, and can cause bone wear, physical limitations, pain and fatigue. Normally, arthritis causes painful swelling that can eventually lead to bone erosion and joint deformity.
Among the main complications of doença, therefore, are the direct impacts on mental health.
This sense, or psychological and psychiatric accompaniment, is fundamental for the treatment of quadro, as explained by Dawton Torigoe, professor of rheumatology at the University of São Paulo (USP), in a webinar promoted by Janssen.
Mental health and rheumatoid arthritis
Among the symptoms that rheumatoid arthritis presents, it is worth highlighting the swelling and vermelization of the joints (especially my ones) and the difficulty to get over or remember for less than an hour. Além disso, it is characterized by intense peeling that becomes chronic as a breakthrough.
As a consequence, the symptoms of arthritis end up affecting rotina and mental health, as observed by researchers in the Ipsos Institute study – from which Torigoe fez part.
Over the course of my study, it was found that social activities, interruption of sports practices and professional life are typical behaviors of people with rheumatoid arthritis and that negatively impact their mental health.
Furthermore, in this case, a constant reality in the studies revealed that the prevalence of depression in doença carriers varies between 13% and 47%, according to the size and characteristics of the populations analyzed. Because of this, the psychological and psychiatric accompaniment is two pillars for the care of rheumatoid arthritis – also early treatment so that a doença does not reach serious snows.
“There are several studies in which two groups of patients were separated, being that one person initiates or treatment immediately and another one delays some weeks – giving analgesics and anti-inflammatories (to control the symptoms). Better evolution, with more dor, more inflammation and can begin to develop deformities. Ou seja: this delay does not really harm the evolution of the patient. “