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Survey: Most Patients With RA Reported Having Pain Daily or Multiple Times Per Week, Despite Treatment
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According to a survey of 1,004 adults in the United States, 80% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have reported that they have pain daily or multiple times per week, despite treatment.
“The Honestly RA results reveal there is a clear need for more support of [rheumatoid arthritis] RA patients, from management of the disease impact on their life to the conversations that they have with their physicians,” Olga Petryna, MD, Clinical Rheumatologist in New York City, said in a press release.
The survey — which was conducted by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. — included responses people who self-reported they were diagnosed with RA and whose treatment progressed beyond NSAIDs.
According to the press release, the survey also found those with RA had tried more than four prescription medications, on average, in the prior 5 years. Sixty-four percent of respondents reported the pain kept them from daily activities and celebrations; 91% reported doctors as the go-to source for treatment option information and 90% reported a lack of empathy from those in their social circles due to the invisibility of the disease. If treatment stops working, 58% reported they would delay visiting a doctor immediately. Of these patients, 41% reported they would do so because they thought the symptoms would resolve and 37% reported they would delay visits because they did not want to switch to a stronger medication with potentially more side effects.
“Many patients are dissatisfied with their current treatment and express frustration when a switch in treatment is needed,” Petryna said. “That is why physicians and the broader support community need to engage those patients who may be struggling to meet their treatment goals in an open conversation.”
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