Abstract
Background: A person’s psychological background may support and direct the inflammatory
evolution of a disease toward a specific type of chronic inflammatory rheumatism (CIR).
Aim: This study aimed to identify a particular emotional profile of patients with CIR, particularly
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), based on psychological profile assessments
between patients with and without CIR. Emotional repression, that is, a tendency to inhibit the
expression of negative feelings and/or unpleasant thoughts, was particularly studied.
Methods: This monocentric observational pilot study included patients from the rheumatology
department of a university hospital. These patients were systematically assessed for different
psychological parameters by an experienced psychiatrist, and their clinical and biological
characteristics were collected accordingly. Data analysis was performed using the Chi-squared test
or Fisher’s exact test.
Results: Fifty-nine patients were assessed: 47 patients with CIR (i.e., 27 with RA and 20 with SpA)
(CIR group) and 12 non-CIR patients (i.e., nine with osteoarthritis, one with viral disease, one with
osteoporosis, and one with osteomalacia) (control group). Severe emotional repression and early life
events were both significantly higher in the CIR group than in the control group (P = 0.02). In contrast,
severe psychological and somatic complaints were significantly higher in the control group than in the
CIR group (P < 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively).
Conclusion: Our findings suggested that emotional repression from traumatic life events could
aggravate the etiology and/or course of CIR. Therefore, appropriate psychological care should have a
relevant place within the current therapeutic options for the clinical management of CIR.
Relevance for Patients: The management of CIR should include psychological support as learning
coping mechanisms can facilitate the recovery of CIR patients.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36922/jctr.23.00099
Author affiliation
1Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Amiens-Picardie, University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
2Department of Psychiatry,
University Hospital of Amiens-Picardie, University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
3Statistician Unit, StatEthic, Levallois-Perret, France
*Corresponding author:
Vincent Goëb
Rheumatology Department, University Hospital
of Amiens-Picardie, University of Picardie
Jules Verne, 1 Rue du Professeur Christian
Cabrol 80054 Amiens, France.
Email: Goeb.vincent@chu-amiens.fr
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