NAKO study: more frequent depression, but no differences in cognitive tests in rheumatic disease

Scientists from the DRFZ’s Health Services Research group have found that people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases suffer more frequently from depression (26% vs. 21%) or anxiety disorders (15% vs. 11%) than people with osteoarthritis; however, the two groups did not differ in cognitive function tests. These findings were based on analysis of data from the NAKO health study and were recently published in the journal Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases Open (RMD Open).

Dr. Johanna Callhoff, head of the Health Services Research group, is surprised by some of the results: “We know that depressive symptoms occur frequently in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, especially in middle-aged patients and more frequently in women than in men. However, it is positive to emphasize that cognitive function in inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or lupus erythematosus was not worse than in the comparison group of people with non-inflammatory wear and tear diseases of the musculoskeletal system such as osteoarthritis. This is in contrast to previous data, which, at least in some studies, had indicated impaired cognitive performance and a possible correlation with the underlying inflammatory processes.”

One difference to other studies is the design of the NAKO study and its long duration, which primarily included younger people with milder symptoms. Studies from rheumatology clinics often include older and, above all, more severely affected patients. The NAKO results should therefore be seen as a supplement to previous studies.

The NAKO Health Study is Germany’s largest long-term population study to investigate widespread diseases. Data from the first 100,000 participants were taken into account for this evaluation.