A systematic review of quality of life domains and items relevant to patients with Spondyloarthritis

Abstract Objectives To summarize, from the literature, Quality of Life (QoL) domains and items relevant to patients with Spondyloarthritis (SpA), and to determine if commonly used SpA Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) instruments include the identified domains. Methods We used PRISMA criteria for systematic review and searched Medline® Embase® and PsycInfo® using relevant keywords. In addition, hand searches of references of the included articles were conducted. All articles were reviewed for inclusion by 2 independent reviewers. QoL domains and items relevant to patients with axial or peripheral SpA were extracted and presented using the adapted World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) domain framework. SpA PROs were assessed to determine if they included the domains identified. Results We retrieved 14,343 articles, of which 34 articles fulfilled inclusion criteria for review. 25 articles were conducted in the European population. Domains such as negative feelings and activities of daily living were found to be present in 28 and 27 articles respectively. SpA impacted QoL in all domains of the adapted WHOQOL framework. Domains that differed between types of SpA were financial resources, general levels of independence and medication side effects. Embarrassment, self-image and premature ageing were items that differed by geographical setting. PROs to capture domains for peripheral SpA were similar for axial SpA. Conclusions We found that a wide range of domains and items of QoL were relevant to patients with SpA with minimal differences between patients with axial and peripheral SpA. Clinicians may consider using peripheral SpA PROs to measure QoL of patients with axial SpA.