Dr Faith Matcham on the relationship between depression and biologic treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis

Dr Faith Matcham, King’s College London, UK, discusses her recent paper on the relationship between depression and biologic treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis with Dr James Galloway. Analysis of data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register showed patients who reported symptoms of depression at baseline had a reduced likelihood of having a good treatment response and a much-reduced improvement in disease activity at 1-year follow-up. They discussed the importance of considering mental health comorbidity when treating patients.