Trends in Anxiety and Depression Among Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study

Objective To investigate trends in depression and anxiety over 3 decades among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods Patients with incident RA (age ≥ 18 years, meeting 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria between 1985 and 2014) were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Individuals with RA were matched 1:1 with non-RA comparators on age, sex, and calendar year of RA incidence. Patients were followed until death, migration, or December 31, 2020. Depression and anxiety were defined using established International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revision code sets. Cox models were used to compare trends in the occurrence of depression and anxiety diagnoses and cooccurring anxiety and depression by decade and RA status, adjusted for potential confounders.

Results The study included 1012 individuals with RA and 1012 matched controls (mean age 55.9 years, 68.38% female). Hazard ratios (HRs) demonstrated a temporal increase in anxiety and cooccurring anxiety and depression from 2005-2014 compared to 1985-1994 for individuals both with and without RA. Persons with RA exhibited a rising occurrence of anxiety (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.86-1.88) and concomitant anxiety and depression (HR 1.49, 95% CI 0.96-2.33) compared to controls. Trends were most pronounced in seropositive patients with RA (anxiety: HR 4.01, 95% CI 2.21-7.30).

Conclusion Anxiety and concomitant anxiety and depression diagnoses are elevated in individuals with RA. The increasing occurrence of anxiety and cooccurring anxiety and depression suggests rising awareness and diagnosis of these disorders. Adding to stable but high rates of depression diagnoses, individuals with RA now have evidence of a widening gap in mental health diagnoses that clinicians should address.