Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers

Background and objectives
Chronic pain is known to be a widespread problem. However to date, published surveys have been of limited scope and / or indication. The following data are taken from the largest survey on chronic pain ever carried out in Europe. This survey aimed to assess the prevalence of chronic pain, its severity, the effectiveness of pain treatment, the attitudes of sufferers and the people around them to their pain, and hence the impact that chronic pain has on sufferers’ lives. The data presented are specific to those patients who suffer pain principally because of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods
This was a computer-assisted telephone survey carried out in 16 countries across Europe. Screening interviews identified approximately 300 chronic pain sufferers aged >18 years in each country for in-depth interviews. From a total of 4839 people, 332 RA pain sufferers (7%) were identified. The statistics obtained were weighted to reflect the general population, and these results are presented.

Results

The mean age of the RA pain patients was 58.2 years and 49% were retired;

68% of respondents had moderate pain and 32% had severe pain:
45% had constant pain and 55% had intermittent pain;
56% had suffered with pain between 2 and 15 years;
24% had been diagnosed with depression by a doctor because of their pain;
73% were less able or unable to work outside of the home, 19% had lost their job because of their pain and 17% had changed job responsibilities because of their pain;
70% visited their doctor about their pain one to six times in the last six months;
Only 22% had seen a pain management specialist;
33% stated that when their pain was at its worst, they could not possibly tolerate any more;
30% were not receiving any treatment for their pain and 33% did not think discussing their pain with their doctor would help any more;
90% said that their doctor had never used a pain scale to assess their pain;
32% had their pain controlled within 6 months, however 38% had been in pain for over 5 years before their pain was controlled;
Although unhappy about the effect it has on their lives, most respondents (78%) were resigned to their pain as part of their medical condition.
37% of RA patients suffered constant pain and 17% said that sometimes the pain was so bad that they wanted to die;
38% said they would spend all their money to relieve their pain;
35% didn’t take any medication because they disliked treatment;
Of those taking prescription drugs, 62% were taking NSAIDs, only 2% were taking a strong opioid;
65% thought their treatment was inadequate;
24% had switched treatments because they didn’t work and 29% said they needed a stronger treatment.

Conclusions
Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of their treatments, RA-patients seem to accept their pain as part of their condition. One-third of RA patients were in constant pain and, at times, 17% claimed they wanted to die because of their pain. Only 2% were prescribed a strong opioid analgesic. The results of the survey suggest the need for further education and chronic pain awareness among healthcare professionals in particular, and the need for chronic pain in RA sufferers to be recognised and treated as a medical condition in its own right