Investigation of Functional Status of Foot/Ankle in Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Objective=The aim of this study was to examine the functional limitations of foot/ankle in terms of age in individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Material-Method=Forty individuals diagnosed with RA were included in the study. Individuals with RA were divided into two groups (under 65 years old (n:24) and 65 years old and over (n:16)).Functional status of foot/ankle were evaluated with Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), general health status with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and disability level with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). FAOS consists of five subtests: pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreational function, and foot/ankle related quality of life. Relationships between continuous variables were evaluated with Pearson Correlation Analysis. Results=HAQ had low to moderate correlation with FAOS_pain (r:-0.435), FAOS_activities of daily living (r:-0.647), FAOS_sport and recreational function (r:-0.495) and FAOS_total (r:-0.582) in RA with under 65 years old while HAQ had moderate to high correlation with FAOS_other symptoms (r:-0.579), FAOS_pain (r:-0.702), FAOS_activities of daily living (r:-0.868), FAOS_sport and recreational function (r:-0.683) and FAOS_total (r:-0.806) (p<0.05) in RA with 65 years old and over. In addition, VAS had moderate correlation with FAOS_pain (r:-0.517), FAOS_activities of daily living (r:-0.590), FAOS_sport and recreational function (r:-0.550) and FAOS_total (r:-0.587) in RA with 65 years old and over (p<0.05). Conclusion=Although functional limitations related to foot/ankle affect disability levels of RA of all ages, this effect is greater for RA aged 65 and over.In addition, functional limitations related to foot/ankle cause a worse perception of general health status of RA patients aged 65 and over.