Article: http://www.thinkarthritis.org/article-2996129.htm
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thinkarthritis.org - Patients with rheumatic disease can experience
physical deformities, especially of the hands and feet in the case of
rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or skin rashes and lesions and hand
deformity in the case of systemic lupus erthyematosus. Few studies on
body image concerns have been conducted, but research shows that women
with lupus and RA have poorer body image than healthy women. A new
study published in the March 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research
examined the relationship between physical appearance concerns and
psychological distress (depression and anxiety) in patients with RA
and lupus.

Led by Louise Sharpe, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney in New South
Wales, Australia, the study included 157 patients with lupus, newly
diagnosed RA, or chronic RA. Patients completed a different set of
questionnaires regarding their health because many RA measures are
irrelevant to lupus. The survey evaluated disability, health related
quality of life (HRQOL), psychological distress (including perceived
appearance), and coping strategies. In addition, the RA patients
underwent joint assessments by a rheumatology nurse; similar measures
are not available for lupus patients.

The results showed that all groups showed increased psychological
distress and the lupus patients' HRQOL was negatively affected. Also,
53 percent of the lupus patients reported that they felt unattractive
because of the disease, compared with only 30 percent of those with
chronic RA and 34 percent of those with newly diagnosed RA.

The study found that both appearance and physical disability are
predictive of depression, but not anxiety, in patients with RA,
suggesting that appearance concerns are important and are related to
depression independently of disability. In lupus patients, the study
found that appearance concerns mediated the relationship between
physical HRQOL and depression; when appearance was taken out of the
equation, physical HRQOL did not affect depression. The results also
confirmed that appearance concerns are frequently associated with
rheumatic diseases, with 30 to 53 percent of participants reporting
that they felt unattractive due to changes in their appearance brought
on by the disease.

Because previous research has shown high rates of depression in RA and
lupus patients and elevated distress can affect function and quality
of life, the researchers state, "By investigating which factors affect
distress, psychological therapies can be improved to target specific
areas and minimize the psychological impact of the disease." They note
that although their results clearly establish that appearance concerns
are associated with depression, this does not mean that depression is
caused by concerns about appearance.

http://www.thinkarthritis.org/article-2996129.htm

Tim Silva