11 September 2023
The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), working with the team behind the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid Arthritis (BSRBR-RA) study, recently ran an online survey to understand some of the important questions that people in the UK living with rheumatoid arthritis have about their arthritis and its treatment.
It was reported that 994 people who have rheumatoid arthritis completed the survey and they were asked to rank the topics that were most important to them from a research perspective.
The highest-ranked topic shown in the table below, was about understanding which drug is best for individuals. The next most important topic was understanding the impact of arthritis and its treatments on social life, well-being, and physical function. Rounding out the top four, was understanding the risk of side effects on treatment.
Overall, all topics were rated highly with the lowest topic still rated very important by 71% of respondents, showing the wide impact rheumatoid arthritis and its treatments can have.
Percentage who deemed it “very important”
95% | What is the best drug for me as an individual? |
93% | How will my treatment affect my physical function, such as doing day-to-day tasks or going out with friends/family? |
93% | How does treatment affect my quality of life, such as my social life, my condition and my happiness? |
92% | What is the risk of developing side effects or other illness on my treatment? |
88% | What is the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and other co-existing health conditions or diseases? |
86% | Why do the effects of some treatments wear off over time, even when people keep taking them regularly? |
81% | How does rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment affect my ability to work (and to stay in work)? |
71% | Why do some people respond to drugs while others do not? |
The BSRBR-RA study team plans to use the valuable information from this survey to help guide their future research priorities. This ensures that the research from this study best addresses the questions held by people living with RA across the UK.