The Relationship Between Rheumatoid Factor Seropositivity and Impulsivity in Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Potential Clinical Effects of Impulsivity.

Background: Impulsivity is the propensity to make judgments and take action without sufficient planning or foreseeing consequences. Impulsivity is one of the main symptoms of several mental disorders. Studies supporting the association between inflammation and impulsivity are increasing in number. This study aimed to assess the association between impulsivity, inflammation and rheumatoid factor (RF) in rheumatoid arthritis, a systemic inflammatory disease. Methods: Thirty rheumatoid arthritis patients with RF+ and 22 rheumatoid arthritis patients with RFwere enrolled in this study. Impulsivity was measured with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), and Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) was applied to assess the potential clinical effects of impulsivity. In addition, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) were used to evaluate the individuals’ clinical features. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as inflammation biomarkers. Results: In this study, patients with RF+ had higher BIS total scores than those with RF- (p = .039). In addition, smoking rates, which may be associated with impulsive behavior, were higher in the RF+ group than in the RF- group (p = .033). Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the attentional impulsivity dimension of BIS and CRP levels in the RF+ group (p = .023). Regarding MMAS, BAI, BDI, and IES-2, there was no significant difference between RF+ and RFgroups. Conclusions: These results indicate that RF seropositivity in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with impulsivity. The high impulsivity detected in RF+ patients may be the reason why risky behaviors such as smoking are seen more frequently in this group. Moreover, it has also been shown that increased attentional impulsivity in RF+ group is associated with inflammation. Further studies evaluating the effect of inflammatory processes on impulsivity in RF+ patients are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]