TABLE 2.
Comparison between frail and non‐frail elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (survey 2)
| Total RA (N = 32) | Frail (n = 12) | Non‐frail (n = 20) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographical characteristics | ||||
| Male | 12 (37.5) | 5 (42) | 7 (35) | .72 |
| Age, mean (SD) | 70.5 (6.3) | 67.4 (5) | 72.4 (6.4) | .03 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married or living together | 26 (81.3) | 10 (83.3) | 16 (80) | .65 |
| Educational level | ||||
| Academic | 12 (37.5) | 5 (41.7) | 7 (35) | 1.00 |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Smoker | 18 (56.3) | 3 (25) | 1 (5) | .05 |
| Never smoker | 4 (12.5) | 1 (8.3) | 9 (45) | |
| Alcohol use | ||||
| Never | 8 (25.0) | 2 (16.7) | 6 (30) | .96 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Disease duration, y, median (IQR) | 13 (5.0‐22.0) | 19.5 (6.0‐22.0) | 10.5 (4.3‐20.8) | .30 |
| RA at age 40 | 4 (12.5) | 1 (8.3) | 3 (15) | 1.00 |
| Patient global health, 0‐100, median (IQR) | 65.1 (51.8‐78.1) | 54.4 (38.4‐65.1) | 68.2 (54.4‐86.2) | .01 |
| Polypharmacy reported by rheumatologist, ≥5 medications | 21 (65.6) | 10 (83.3) | 11 (55) | .14 |
| Comorbidities, median (IQR) | 2.0 (1.0) | 2.0 (2.0‐2.0) | 1.0 (1.0‐2.0) | .09 |
| Classified as frail on GFI | 12 (37.5) | |||
| GFI total score, median (IQR) | 2.5 (1.0‐5.8) | 6.0 (5.0‐7.8) | 2.0 (1.0‐2.0) | <.01 |
| Domain‐specific questionnaires | ||||
| GDS‐15 (current age, data N = 29) | ||||
| No depressive symptoms | 21 | 6 | 15 | .04 |
| Mild depressive symptoms | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
| Moderate to severe depressive symptoms | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GDS‐15 (recalled situation age 40, data N = 29) | ||||
| No depressive symptoms | 26 | 9 | 17 | .06 |
| Mild depressive symptoms | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Moderate to severe depressive symptoms | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| HADS‐anxiety (current age, data N = 28) | ||||
| No indication anxiety | 23 | 6 | 17 | .01 |
| Indication anxiety | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| HADS‐anxiety (recalled situation age 40, data N = 28) | ||||
| No indication anxiety | 21 | 4 | 17 | <.01 |
| Indication anxiety | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| HADS‐depression (current age, data N = 28) | ||||
| No indication depression | 27 | 11 | 16 | 1.00 |
| Indication depression | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| HADS‐depression (recalled situation age 40, data n = 28) | ||||
| No indication depression | 27 | 11 | 16 | 1.00 |
| Indication depression | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Resource utilization | ||||
| Non‐rheumatologic appointment with specialist within the past 3 mo, median (IQR) | 4.0 (2.0‐13.0) | 9.0 (3.3‐16.5) | 2.0 (1.0‐6.0) | .04 |
| Medical/social services ho within the past 3 mo | 4 (12.9) | 2 (16.7) | 2 (10.5) | .63 |
| Biological infusion treatment of at least 4 h during the past 3 mo | 3 (9.7) | 2 (16.7) | 1 (5.3) | .54 |
| Hospitalization during the past 3 mo | 2 (6.3) | 1 (8.3) | 1 (5.0) | 1.00 |
Data are presented as number (percentage) of patients unless stated otherwise.
Abbreviations: GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale; GFI, Groningen Frailty Indicator; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.