Prevalence of the neuropathic pain component in rheumatoid arthritis patients and its relationship to disease activity: a cross-sectional study

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of the neuropathic pain (NP) component in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its effects on disease activity, functional status, and quality of life. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 120 individuals, including 60 patients diagnosed with RA and 60 age- and sex-matched controls. The disease activity score-28 (DAS-28) for disease activity, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, the painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ) for NP, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RA-QoL) for quality of life, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) for functional status were used to collect data. Results: The prevalence of NP was 63.3% (n=38) in the patient group and 6.7% (n=4) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p