Evaluation of the Effect of Neuropathic Pain on Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects the joint synovium. Rheumatoid arthritis patients define pain as their major symptom and the most important reason for applying to a healthcare institution. Approximately 70% of rheumatoid arthritis patients state that improvement in their pain compared to other symptoms of the disease is their priority. Pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is also important as the disease affects approximately 0.5-1% of patients worldwide.

Synovial inflammation, which can lead to joint deformity by causing cartilage and bone destruction, is the main pathophysiological mechanism in rheumatoid arthritis, and therefore the main cause of pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is thought to be nociceptive. Although pain in rheumatoid arthritis was previously associated with tissue damage and inflammatory processes in the joints, accumulated knowledge shows that peripheral inflammation, disease progression, structural and neurochemical changes in the joints and sensorial system, and central pain process mechanisms may also play a role in these rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Although pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients can be persistent or intermittent, localized or widespread, it has often been associated with fatigue and psychosocial stress. Although nociceptive pain, defined as 'gnawing' or 'aching', is frequently observed in rheumatoid arthritis patients, typical neuropathic pain, such as 'burning' or 'itching', can be observed in some RA patients. It is thought that neuropathic pain may occur as a result of lesions or disease affecting the somatosensorial nervous system. Neuropathic pain can occur with little or no stimulus, and its symptoms are abnormal sensations such as hyperalgesia and allodynia.

Although the frequency of neuropathic pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients varies in various clinical studies, it is approximately 20.7-30%. The diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is important because neuropathic pain does not decrease with traditional disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis and causes a decrease in quality of life. To distinguish neuropathic pain from chronic pain, methods based on defining the quality of pain are often used. Some of these methods are; The McGill Pain Questionnaire, PainDETECT, RAPS (Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale), VAS (visual analogue scale), AIMS (Arthritis Impact Scale), EQ-5D (European Quality of Life Assessment and Pain Assessment Questionnaire).

Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) are used for pain in rheumatoid arthritis, it is not suitable for long-term disease control. It is important to start the use of disease-modifying agents (DMARDs) in the early period in patients.