Foot health and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study

Objective The aim of this study is to identify foot health factors related to the quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Setting In this cross-sectional study, a total of 293 subjects were analysed, 229 of whom were in the RA group and 64 in the control group. In the RA group, 173 patients were female, and 50 in the control group.Participants Patients with foot pain and RA (according to the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria) and with foot pain but no RA were recruited (Granada, Spain).Intervention Two researchers independently interviewed the patients to obtain data for the study.Primary and secondary outcome measures Clinical data were obtained using the Short Form 12-Item questionnaire (quality of life) (primary outcome), Visual Analogue Scale for pain (VAS pain), the Manchester Foot Pain Disability Index (MFPDI) and the Foot Function Index (FFI). Anthropometric measurements were obtained using a foot measurement platform, the Foot Posture Index and the Manchester Scale of Hallux Valgus (secondary outcomes).Results Of the 293 subjects, 76.1% were female. Significant differences were observed between the RA and the control group (p