Follow-up of health-related quality of life and pain in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis before and after COVID-19

Background: The foot is one of the anatomical structures of the body most affected in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), associated with the disability of patients, even more during COVID-19. The aim of this study was to analyse whether the period of physical inactivity during COVID-19 is an influential factor on health-related quality of life and foot pain in patients with RA.Methods: 162 patients with foot pain and RA, recruited from the Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada (Spain) were included. Data was collected during two different periods: January -December 2018 in person and June -September 2021 by phone. Patients were asked to complete the Spanish adapted version of the 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).Results: The results from the SF-12 questionnaires were divided between its two subscales (i.e., mental, and physical component). The physical component shows an improvement between 2018 and 2021, from 32.05 in 2018-35.18 in 2021 (p < 0.05). The opposite happened with the mental component, showing a deterioration, from 39.69 in 2018-34.48 in 2021 (p < 0.05). Regarding pain, VAS shows higher levels of pain with statistically significant differences, both in general pain (from 6 in 2018-7 in 2012) and in foot pain (from 5 to 7), (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Mental quality of life and pain, both general and foot pain, are influenced by the period of physical inactivity during COVID-19.