A New AS Study

A recent study, published in Reumatologia aimed to evaluate how ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients are coping with their condition on a psychological level. They wanted to investigate what sociodemographic factors or disease duration factors may contribute to this ability in an effort to improve care.

Progressive and chronic diseases often pose a high burden for both patients and their families. There is most clearly a need to understand what can be done to improve the quality of life of these individuals. However, there is currently a lack in the research regarding what factors most severely impact patients and which patients are most severely impacted.

This study included 82 participants diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. Of these, 89% of the patients were male.

The researchers were ultimately aiming to uncover whether or not patients were depressed, how well they were accepting their diagnosis, and also, their overall sense of coherence (defined as an internal ability to cope with stress/health status). Sense of coherence essentially evaluates an individual’s ability to adapt. This task relies on three things- how the individual perceives the information given to them, how they recognize what resources they have to help them manage the information, and how they perceive meaning in life.

To evaluate these things, all participants were asked to respond to three different questionnaires.

Results

Higher education was associated with a greater level of disease acceptance, less depression, and a higher sense of coherence. Similarly, younger patients were more confident in their ability to cope and solve problems.

That unfortunately means that older patients struggled more with acceptance. These individuals were also found to be at a higher risk for depression. In total, 57.3% of all participants had signs of depression (moderate or severe).

Those who had been living with AS for 20 years or more presented similarly to the older patients. They had issues with acceptance, were at risk for depression, and had a lower sense of coherence.

The researchers ultimately concluded that those patients who do have a lower sense of coherence also struggle to adapt to their condition. These individuals then are at a much higher risk for developing depression.

On a positive note, most participants in the study did seem to accept their illness. It is now just a matter of turning acceptance of diagnosis into thriving with illness. We need to work harder to find ways to improve the quality of life of those living with ankylosing spondylitis, and that begins with understanding what populations of patients are currently struggling. For instance, sociodemographic factors and disease duration factors should be evaluated when deciding the best therapeutic approach for each individual patient.

Considering these factors could help in the prevention of future complications and, ultimately, will ensure that healthcare professionals are providing the best care possible for their AS patients longterm.

You can read more about this study on living with AS here.