Interrelations of disease activity, health-related quality of life, and mental health in axial spondyloarthritis: the Rheuma-VOR cohort

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by pain and stiffness of the axial skeleton, peripheral manifestations like arthritis, dactylitis and enthesitis, extra-musculoskeletal manifestations, and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Depressive symptoms and fatigue are common, yet few studies have assessed these outcomes at diagnosis and during early treatment. Objective: To evaluate mental health, fatigue, HRQoL, and their association with disease activity and functional status in patients with axSpA at diagnosis and after 1 year of rheumatologic care. Methods: Rheuma-VOR is a multicenter, proof- of concept study in Germany implementing structured preselection and early referral for suspected axSpA. We included 238 patients with confirmed axSpA, of whom 76 completed a 12-month follow-up. Disease activity (BASDAI, ASDAS), functional status (BASFI, BASMI, FFbH), mental health (PHQ-9, WHO-5), fatigue (FACIT-F), and HRQoL (EQ-5D) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Associations between disease activity, function, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were analyzed using correlation and multivariable regression. Results: 0.05). Higher patient-reported disease activity (BASDAI) consistently predicted depressive symptoms and fatigue, whereas functional capacity (FFbH) was the strongest predictor of HRQoL. Physician-assessed disease activity (ASDAS) and functional impairment (BASFI) had smaller or time-limited effects. Conclusion: In axSpA, patient-reported disease activity and functional capacity are key determinants of mental health, HRQoL, and fatigue. Early diagnosis and initiation of guideline-concordant therapy are associated with improvements across physical and psychological domains, supporting systematic screening and interdisciplinary management strategies.