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we used the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess the intensity of
pain, which classifies the intensity of pain from 0 to 10. Descriptive statistical methods, methods for testing statistical
hypotheses and methods for testing addiction were used for statistical data analysis. Statistical hypotheses were tested at a
statistical significance level (alpha level) of 0.05.

Results: Out of a total of 30 subjects, 13.3% were male and 86.7% were female. The average age of the subjects was
58.9 ± 8.0 years. In terms of occupation, the majority were retirees, and in terms of education, most subjects had a
secondary vocational education. The average duration of the disease was 14 years. Our subjects most often had low and
moderate disease activity (33.3% each). Regarding pain intensity, most participants experienced moderate pain (43.3%),
the fewest had mild pain (26.7%), and 30.0% of participants reported severe pain. The VAS pain score median of all subjects
was 5. The most common was a moderate to severe disturbance of functional ability (56.7%). It was found that there was a
statistically significant association between pain intensity and functional disability (rs = 0.618; p = 0.001). There was also a
statistically significant association between the degree of disease activity (CDAI) and functional disability (HAQ) (rs = 0,377;
p = 0,040). No statistically significant correlation was shown between the duration of the disease and the degree of
functional disability (rs = -0.037; p = 0.845).

Conclusion: It is necessary to pay special attention to the treatment of pain in patients with RA, because its presence and
intensity are closely related to the degree of functional disability.

Keywords: pain, pain intensity, functional disability, rheumatoid arthritis

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