Low Haemoglobin is Inversely Associated with Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Aim: Extra-articular manifestations especially haematological abnormalities are common in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim is to study the haematological parameters and its correlation with disease severity and gender.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary centre among 50 RA patients who attended the Rheumatology or General Medicine OPD from January 2020 to June 2021. The number of swollen joints, tender joints, the patient's global assessment, rheumatoid factor, and complete blood counts were recorded. Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) was calculated from these variables and data was analysed using SPSS version 29 with p<0.05 considered as statistically significant.

Results: Of the study subjects, forty (80%) were females; thirty (60%) belonged to the age group 41-50 years. Median age was 42.4(18, 50) years. 79 % (19 out of 24) of subjects with normal haemoglobin had moderate disease activity on DAS 28 score and 50% (13/26) of participants with low haemoglobin levels had high disease activity. Simple linear regression analysis showed low haemoglobin is inversely associated with DAS 28 score (R2 = 0.407, F= 32.888, p < 0.001). Compared to females, males had a higher haemoglobin level which was statistically significant. Female patients had statistically significant higher DAS 28 scores than males (p = 0.016).

Conclusion: Low haemoglobin levels are associated with high disease activity in RA patients and males had less severe disease than females.