Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the relationship between these psychiatric symptoms and disease activity/function. Material and Method: A total of 54 patients with AS (29 males) were included in this cross-sectional study. The Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was used to assess disease activity, the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI) was used to assess function, and the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) was used to assess spinal mobility. Perceived stress of the patients was evaluated with the Perceived Stress Scale, anxiety and depression were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: It was determined that 50% of the patients had anxiety and 33.3% had depression. The PSQI score of the patients was 8.35 ± 0.58, and 68.5% had poor sleep quality. No relationship was found between BASDAI and stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. There was a poor-moderate correlation between BASFI and sleep quality (r= 0.306, p=0.025). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of patients with AS who experienced various psychiatric problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders were high. No relationship was found between disease activity and psychiatric symptoms. There was only a relationship between BASFI and sleep quality.