Joint hypermobility in rheumatoid arthritis: A case- control study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the presence of joint hypermobility (JH) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and the relationship between JH and disease activity, hand functions, and quality of life. Methods: Thirty-four seropositive RA patients and 34 controls were included. Demographic data, body mass index, and state of JH (Beighton scores) of all participants were recorded. Two groups were compared in terms of JH. In RA patients, the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) was used to evaluate disease activity, the Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) for hand functions, and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) for quality of life. A correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship of these data with JH in RA patients. Results: In the RA group, there were no patients with JH. No significant difference was found in the Beighton scores compared to the control group (p=0.383). The Beighton score showed a statistically significant negative correlation with DAS-28, DHI, NHP total, NHP pain, NHP physical activity, and NHP energy level. (p=0.026, p=0.015, p=0.003, p<0.001, p=0.007, p=0.001, respectively). Conclusion: JH was not detected in patients with RA. Decreased joint mobility may be associated with high disease activity, poor quality of life, and poor hand function.

Keywords

• rheumatoid arthritis
• joint hypermobility
• hand function

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