Associations of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity With Frailty Over Five Years of Follow‐up
Authors' conclusion
Higher RA disease activity was associated with increased frailty burden over time.
Study context
- Population
- Veterans in the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry enrolled 2003–2022 (89% male, mean age 64 years, 28% frail)
- Participants
- 2,800 veterans
- Exposure
- Association of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity with frailty
- Outcome
- Frailty measured by the Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VAFI), calculated annually
- Follow-up
- Baseline and over five years
Methodological detailsregistry-based (VARA), cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, multivariable linear regression, generalized estimating equations
- Registry-based (VARA)
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses
- Multivariable linear regression
- Generalized estimating equations
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
VAFI score per DAS28
Higher DAS28 associated with increasing Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VAFI) score at enrollment: adjusted β (95% CI 0.63-1.08), P < 0.001, N = 2,800
0.86
RA disease activity independently associated with frailty scores over five years of follow-up: adjusted β (95% CI 0.26-0.80), P < 0.001, n = 2,786
0.53
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Associations of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity With Frailty Over Five Years of Follow‐up. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 5 May 2026. doi:10.
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