Rheumatoid Arthritis: Advances in Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis in Clinical Medicine

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Hematology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 569

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: rheumatoid arthritis; systemic sclerosis; interstitial lung disease; hereditary angioedema

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Guest Editor Assistant
Division of Clinical Immunology, Allergology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dubrava University Hospital, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: rheumatoid arthritis; inflammation; vasculitis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue entitled “Rheumatoid Arthritis: Advances in Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis in Clinical Medicine”.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that can lead to a high rate of disability. In addition to affecting the joints, RA can involve the lungs, as well as other internal organs, the nervous system, skin, and sensory organs. A well-known association between RA and accelerated atherosclerosis increases the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. Rheumatoid arthritis is also linked to diastolic dysfunction and other cardiovascular morbidities. The anemia of chronic disease, osteoporosis, depression, and amyloidosis are additional clinical aspects associated with untreated rheumatoid arthritis.

This Special Issue focuses on the clinical aspects of RA, its systemic manifestations, and the application of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

Dr. Marko Barešić
Guest Editor

Dr. Joško Mitrović
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis
  • cardiovascular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis
  • rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis
  • anemia and rheumatoid arthritis
  • Felty syndrome
  • depression and rheumatoid arthritis
  • amyloidosis and rheumatoid arthritis
  • rheumatoid arthritis and malignancies
  • rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 405 KiB  
Article
Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Association Between Fatigue and Depressive Symptoms in Females with Rheumatoid Arthritis
by I-Yu Hsiao, Hanoch Livneh, Chieh-Tsung Yen, Ming-Chi Lu, Wei-Jen Chen and Tzung-Yi Tsai
Medicina 2025, 61(6), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61061013 - 29 May 2025
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: Extant research on the relationship between fatigue and depression in people with rheumatic diseases portrays a divergent picture. While caring for persons with this medical condition, one issue that represents individual confidence in carrying out specific tasks, namely self-efficacy [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Extant research on the relationship between fatigue and depression in people with rheumatic diseases portrays a divergent picture. While caring for persons with this medical condition, one issue that represents individual confidence in carrying out specific tasks, namely self-efficacy level, has attracted significant attention. Yet, the information regarding whether self-efficacy may pose a clue linking these two major symptoms is still unknown. The aim of this study, therefore, is to examine whether self-efficacy mediates the association between fatigue and depressive symptoms among persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study of 224 females with RA from a hospital in Taiwan was conducted between January and October 2023. We then distributed anonymous self-reported questionnaires instructing participants to provide information on their demographic characteristics, levels of fatigue, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms. The bootstrap via PROCESS macro in SPSS was executed to analyze if self-efficacy would mediate the effect of fatigue on emergence of depressive symptoms. Results: For those participants captured at baseline, a negative association was noted between fatigue and self-efficacy, as well as between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Results of the mediation analysis revealed a remarkable indirect effect of fatigue on depressive symptoms through self-efficacy, with a regression coefficient of 0.21 (95% confidence intervals: 0.06–0.37). Conclusions: This work extends current understanding of the roles that fatigue and self-efficacy play in predicting depression among people with RA and further clarified the potential mediating role of self-efficacy in buffering against depressive symptomatology. Interventions that extend from the management of fatigue and further incorporate the improvement of self-efficacy sense into the stereotypical therapy should greatly mitigate the distressing symptoms for patients with RA. Full article
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