TITLE:
Impact of Comorbidity Burden on Treatment Patterns and Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Insights from the Kuwait Registry for Rheumatic Diseases (KRRD)
AUTHORS:
Omar Alrashed, Ghaydaa Aldabie, Ahmad Albdulrahman, Fatima Milhan, Princy Perera, Ismail Rehman, Sulaiman Bin Safer, Fatma Nagi, Danah Naser, Adeeba Al-Herz, Ahmad Alsaber, Kholoud Saleh, Naser Alhadhod, Aqeel Ghanem, Huda Tarakmeh, Sawan Hayat, Huda Khraiss, Adel Alawadhi, Eman Hasan, Yaser Ali
KEYWORDS:
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Kuwait Registry, Comorbidity Burden, Disease Activity, Biologics
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.3,
March
10,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently coexists with comorbidities that influence disease management and outcomes. This study evaluates how comorbidity burden affects disease activity and treatment patterns in RA patients within the Kuwait Registry for Rheumatic Diseases (KRRD). Research Design and Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 2012-2025. Adults with RA were divided into two groups: low comorbidity (Results: Among 1318 patients, 179 (13.6%) had ≥3 comorbidities. These patients were older (average 60.7 vs. 48.3 years), predominantly female (84.4% vs. 71.5%), with longer disease duration (7.5 vs. 4.2 years). The overall distribution of treatment regimens differed significantly between the groups (p Conclusion: A higher comorbidity burden in RA correlates with increased disease activity and a tendency toward more intensive biologic and combination treatments. Integrated management of RA and comorbidities is crucial for improving long-term outcomes.