Title:Mental Health Problems Experienced by Patients with Rheumatic Diseases During COVID-19 Pandemic

VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 3

Author(s):Anass Adnine, Khawla Nadiri, Ilias Soussan, Siriman Coulibaly, Khadija Berrada, Adil Najdi and Fatima E. Abourazzak*

Affiliation:Department of Rheumatology, University hospital of Tangier, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Rheumatology, University hospital of Tangier, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Rheumatology, University hospital of Tangier, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Epidemiology, Public Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Rheumatology, University hospital of Tangier, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Epidemiology, Public Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Department of Rheumatology, University hospital of Tangier, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier

Keywords:Mental health, anxiety, depression, insomnia, rheumatic diseases, COVID-19.

Abstract:Background: Patients with rheumatic diseases are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia. Yet, little is known about mental health status during COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study aims to measure the prevalence of mental health disorders among patients with rheumatic diseases in the era of COVID-19 pandemic and to determine potential risk factors for major symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in participants. Methods: Participants with rheumatic diseases were asked to complete a questionnaire using a telephonic interview. Sociodemographic and rheumatic disease characteristics were recorded. Mental health status was assessed by the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-7, and insomnia severity index (ISI) questionnaires to detect depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms, respectively. Results: We included 307 patients in the survey. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent diagnosis (55%). Of all participants, 7.5% had known depression and 5.5% known anxiety. Mental health disorders were insomnia (34.9%), anxiety (33.2%), and depression (24.4%). Major symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, and depression were noted in respectively, 19.9%, 12.4%, and 7.8% of participants. Risk factors for major insomnia were male gender (OR= 4.36, 95% CI 2.06 to 9.25; p Conclusion: A high frequency of undiagnosed depression, anxiety and insomnia symptoms was found in rheumatic patients. Rheumatologists should be aware of these comorbidities, especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.