Factors influencing the quality of life of women with rheumatoid arthritis in Indonesia

Introduction: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is one of the highest contributors to disabilities in the world. RA causes both physical and mental problems, which can lead to a worsening of their quality of life (QoL). To date, no study has evaluated factors associated with the quality of life of women with RA, especially in Indonesia. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study of 90 women with RA who seek treatment in an Allergy Immunology Outpatient Clinic, in February-July 2022, using interviews, clinical laboratory examinations, medical record evaluations, and a 12-item QoL short form (SF-12). The results were analyzed with the Mann Whitney-U test for bivariate analysis and linear regression for multivariate. Results: A significant relationship was found in monthly income (p = 0.002) and RA disease control (p = 0.013) variables toward Physical Component Summary (PCS). Meanwhile, for Mental Component Summary (MCS), a significant relationship was only found in the control of RA disease (p = 0.009). After an adjustment with multivariate analysis, monthly income and control of RA continued to have an independent effect on PCS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01), and control of RA also had an independent effect on MCS (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The quality of life of women with RA in Indonesia is good in the mental component but poor in the physical dimension. Monthly income has a significant effect on PCS and has an independent effect on PCS. In addition, disease control has a significant and independent effect on PCS and MCS.