Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · May 2018
Pain Catastrophizing, Subjective Outcomes, and Inflammatory Assessments Including Ultrasound: Results From a Longitudinal Study of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.
Pain catastrophizing is conceptualized as a negative cognitive-affective response to anticipated or actual pain and has been associated with important pain-related outcomes. The objective of this prospective study of established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients was to explore how pain catastrophizing was related to patient-reported outcomes (PROs), composite scores, and assessments of inflammatory activity. ⋯ Pain catastrophizing was strongly associated with PROs and composite measures, but not with markers of inflammation. High levels of pain catastrophizing reduced the likelihood of achieving composite score remission and should be a factor to consider in a treat-to-target strategy.