Back/Joint Pain, Illness Perceptions and Coping are Important Predictors of Quality of Life and Work Productivity in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study

Mike van der Have*, Lianne K P M Brakenhoff*, Sanne J H van Erp, Ad A Kaptein, Max Leenders, Margreet Scharloo, Roeland A Veenendaal, Désirée M F M van der Heijde, Andrea E van der Meulen-de Jong, Daan W Hommes, Herma H Fidder

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Back and joint pain are the most common extraintestinal symptoms reported by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We assessed the impact of back/joint pain, illness perceptions and coping on quality of life (QOL) and work productivity in patients with IBD.

    METHODS: Our cohort included 155 IBD patients with and 100 without arthropathy. Arthropathy was defined as daily back pain for ≥ three months and/or peripheral joint pain and/or joint swelling over the last year. At baseline and at 12 months, patients completed questionnaires on the extent of back/joint pain, IBD disease activity, illness perceptions, coping, QOL, and work productivity. The impact of back/joint pain, illness perceptions and coping on QOL and work productivity was determined, using linear mixed models.

    RESULTS: In total, 204 IBD patients (72% Crohn's disease, 40% male, mean age 44±14 years) completed questionnaires at both time points. At both time points, IBD patients with back/joint pain reported a significantly lower QOL and work productivity compared to IBD patients without back/joint pain. Predictors of low QOL were back/joint pain (ß -1.04, 95% CI -1.40,-0.68), stronger beliefs about the illness consequences (ß-0.39, 95% CI -0.59,-0.18) and emotional impact of IBD (ß -0.47, 95% CI -0.66,-0.28), and the coping strategy "decreasing activity" (ß -0.26, 95% CI-0.48,-0.03). Predictors of work productivity were back/joint pain (ß 0.22, 95% CI 0.07,0.37) and illness consequences (ß 0.14, 95% CI 0.06,0.22).

    CONCLUSION: Back/joint pain, illness perceptions and coping are significant predictors of QOL and work productivity, after controlling for disease activity.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)276-283
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Crohn's & Colitis
    Volume9
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Mar 2015

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright © 2014 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected].

    Keywords

    • Arthralgia
    • Common Sense Model
    • coping
    • illness perceptions
    • inflammatory bowel disease
    • quality of life
    • work productivity

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