Relation between Functional Status and Quality of Life of the Elderly with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a crippling disease that affects all life domains of the patients, such as the body functions, the activity's performance and contributes to the occurrence of several complications and disalities. The aim of the study: was to assess the relationship between functional status and quality of life of the elderly with rheumatoid arthritis. Subjects and method: Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used in this study. Study settings: This study was conducted at the rheumatoid clinic in Ali IbnAby Taleeb Health Insurance Hospital and the Rehabilitative clinic in Tanta University Hospitals. Study subjects: A convenient sample was utilized in this study. The total number of the studied subjects of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients was 120. Tools of the study: Four tools were used in this study to collect the necessary data: Tool I. Structured interview schedule that was developed by the researcher which included two parts; part (1): Sociodemographic characteristics of the elderly with rheumatoid arthritis and part (2): Past and present health history of the elderly with rheumatoid arthritis. Tool II. Katz Activities of Daily Living (Katz ADL). Tool III. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (Lawton’s IADL). Tool IV. World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: The majority (95.20%) of the studied subjects who aged more than 80 years had a poor QOL while, less than three-quarters (70.30%) of them who had a poor QOL that their age ranged 60 years and less than one-fifth (18.8%) of the same age group had a good QOL according to World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Conclusion: The study concluded that more than three- quarters of studied elderly with RA had a poor QOL, while the rest of studied elderly with RA had a fair QOL and less than onefifth of studied elderly with RA had a good QOL. Recommendations: This study recommended that there is a crucial need for further research to hold continuous educational and orientation programs for the elderly with RA and encourage a high level of self-care, follow up, teaching for rheumatoid arthritis and improving health status.