Rheumatoid Factor and Its Association with Disease Severity and Functional Status of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of positive rheumatoid factor (RF) status, its association with disease severity and functional disability of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A preliminary, cross sectional study was conducted on 46 RA patients. Blood samples were analysed for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and RF levels. Socio-demographic data, disease activity score for 28 joints (DAS28), and modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ) score were recorded. The prevalence of positive rheumatoid factor (RF) in RA patients was 63.0%. The mean ± SD for DAS28 Score and mHAQ Score were 3.52 ± 1.13 and 0.47 ± 0.61 respectively. Most RA patients (47.8%) had moderate disease severity and mild functional difficulty (89.1%). Pain severity is the only factor which had significant association with functional difficulty (p=<0.001). However, no significant association between RF status and disease severity (p=0.891) and between RF status and functional difficulty (p=0.269). Positive RF status was prevalent in RA patients. Most patients experienced moderate disease severity and mild functional difficulty. Pain severity had significant association with functional difficulty. However, RF status was not significantly associated with disease severity and functional difficulty. RA obviously affects functional ability of RA patients. Thus, early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention is crucial to prevent long term complication and improve the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]