Background:Stress is implicated in RA onset and poorer prognoses through changes in neuro-endocrine and autoimmune function. Although many people with RA link disease onset to recent stressful life events, results from retrospective studies are unclear.Objectives:To describe the incidence of major stressors(+STRESS) in year prior to diagnosis and compare characteristics and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of newly diagnosed RA patients with and without+STRESSat 0 and 12 months.Methods:Data

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... from early RA patients (symptoms <1 yr) enrolled in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH) from 2007-17 who met 1987/2010 ACR/EULAR criteria and had ≥12 months of follow-up. Patients reported major psychological (death, divorce/separation, family, financial, other) and physical (motor vehicle accident, surgery, major illness/infection, other) stressors in previous year. We used independent t-tests and chi square to compare characteristics by stressors at baseline, and multivariable regression to examine the impact of+STRESSon disease activity and PROs at 1 year, adjusting for age, sex, education, fibromyalgia, and SJC.Results:The 1933 adults were mostly female (72%), with a mean (SD) age of 55 (15) years. 52% reported 1+ stressors in previous year; family (48%), financial stress (36%), death (35%), surgery (28%), and major illness (26%) were the most common stressors. Patients with +STRESS were more likely to be women, younger, have more comorbidities including fibromyalgia, and higher mean DAS28. Patients with +STRESS also had significantly higher mean pain, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance, patient global, and HAQ scores at baseline.At 1 year, SJC and the proportion in DAS28 REM was similar between groups. However, PROs (pain, HAQ, Fatigue, Pt Global, Depression, Poor Sleep) remained higher in+STRESS, with evidence of an additive effect for number of stressors and having both physical and psychological stressors (Table). The greatest impacts were on mood, sleep disturbance, and fatigue.Conclusion:In this pan-Canadian early RA cohort, more than half reported 1+ stressful life events in the year prior to diagnosis. Individuals reporting major stressors had significantly worse pain, patient global, disability, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbance at diagnosis; 1 year later, though disease activity was similar between groups, the effects of +STRESS on PROs persisted. Early RA patients with recent major stressors may benefit from emotional support and stress reduction to optimize how they feel and function.Mean (SD) or N (%)No Stress(N=928; 48%)Physical(N=131; 7%)Psychological(N=658; 34%)Both(N=216; 11%)Age56 (15)56 (15)53 (14)52 (15)Women622 (67%)82 (63%)512 (78%)174 (81%)College Education464 (50%)76 (58%)345 (52%)126 (58%)Rheum Dis Comorbid Index1.1 (1.2)1.4 (1.4)1.1 (1.3)1.4 (1.3)OA or Spinal pain168 (18%)35 (27%)117 (18%)55 (25%)Fibromyalgia diagnosis15 (2%)2 (2%)13 (2%)11 (5%)Symptom duration (months)5.6 (3.0)5.7 (3.0)5.9 (3.0)5.9 (3.0)DAS28 – mean5.0 (1.4)5.1 (1.5)5.0 (1.5)5.2 (1.4)MTX ±csDMARDs679 (73%)100 (76%)489 (74%)166 (77%)Oral Steroids295 (32%)40 (31%)215 (33%)55 (25%)Pain (0-10)5.3 (2.8)5.5 (2.9)5.7 (2.8)6.2 (2.8)HAQ-DI1.0 (0.7)1.2 (0.7)1.1 (0.7)1.3 (0.7)Fatigue (0-10)4.7 (3.1)5.0 (3.0)5.7 (2.9)5.9 (2.9)Patient Global (0-10)5.6 (2.9)6.0 (2.9)6.0 (2.9)6.4 (3.0)Depression (SF12 MCS < 45.6)329 (35%)54 (41%)356 (54%)123 (57%)Poor sleep (0-10)4.5 (3.4)4.8 (3.3)5.3 (3.2)6.0 (3.1)Disclosure of Interests:Nicole Andersen: None declared, Orit Schieir: None declared, Marie-France Valois: None declared, Gilles Boire Grant/research support from: Merck Canada (Registry of biologices, Improvement of comorbidity surveillance)Amgen Canada (CATCH, clinical nurse)Abbvie (CATCH, clinical nurse)Pfizer (CATCH, Registry of biologics, Clinical nurse)Hoffman-LaRoche (CATCH)UCB Canada (CATCH, Clinical nurse)BMS (CATCH, Clinical nurse, Observational Study Protocol IM101664. SEROPOSITIVITY IN A LARGE CANADIAN OBSERVATIONAL COHORT)Janssen (CATCH)Celgene (Clinical nurse)Eli Lilly (Registry of biologics, Clinical nurse), Consultant of: Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Merck, BMS, Pfizer, Janet Pope Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly & Company, Merck, Roche, Seattle Genetics, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Actelion, Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eicos Sciences, Eli Lilly & Company, Emerald, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi, UCB, Speakers bureau: UCB, Glen Hazlewood: None declared, Louis Bessette Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, UCB Pharma, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, UCB Pharma, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Carol Hitchon Grant/research support from: UCB Canada; Pfizer Canada, Diane Tin: None declared, Carter Thorne Consultant of: Abbvie, Centocor, Janssen, Lilly, Medexus/Medac, PfizerSpeakers bureau: Medexus/Medac, Edward Keystone Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc, Gilead, Janssen Inc, Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi-Aventis, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca Pharma, Biotest, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Celltrion,Crescendo Bioscience, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc, Genentech Inc, Gilead, Janssen Inc, LillyPharmaceuticals, Merck, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, UCB., Speakers bureau: Amgen, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Janssen Inc., Merck, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Genzyme, UCB, Vivian Bykerk: None declared, Susan J. Bartlett Consultant of: Pfizer, UCB, Lilly, Novartis, Merck, Janssen, Abbvie, Speakers bureau: Pfizer, UCB, Lilly, Novartis, Merck, Janssen, Abbvie