Rahul Kanna, a graduate assistant in West Virginia University’s Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy, was recognized for his exploration of the use of medical services among Medicaid recipients who have both RA and diagnosed depression.
As part of the requirements for a database analysis class he was taking, Kanna started a small descriptive analysis project profiling recipients of Medicaid in West Virginia who also have an RA diagnosis. He aimed to track how many patients there were, determine a demographic profile for each patient, and identify any comorbidities each patient might have. His initial analysis showed that a large number of Medicaid recipients with an RA diagnosis also exhibited depression as a comorbidity. This information, coupled with current literature suggesting that RA patients are twice as likely to experience depression, led to a hypothesis he wanted to explore further.
“I’m very excited to get some support and recognition for this research. Based on what I learned during my preliminary descriptive analysis project, I think I can show that Medicaid patients who have both RA and diagnosed depression are more likely to use medical services, like outpatient visits and prescription medications,” says Kanna. “If my hypothesis is accurate, the findings of this research project could ultimately lead to better identification and management of the risk factors associated with depression in RA patients. If we can detect depression and begin treatment earlier, we may be able to decrease the use of medical services by these patients, thus leading to decreased cost for RA care over time.”
Once this project is complete, Kanna plans to explore other aspects of RA via future research projects.
A PhD candidate in epidemiology at the University of Toronto, Denise Power was recognized for her proposed research on the fatigue experienced in patients with OA. After surveying the literature available on the topic of pain in OA, Power was surprised to find little information existed—especially given that fatigue can be a prominent effect of the disease.
“I was really surprised by the lack of information related to fatigue and OA,” explains Power. “Fatigue is recognized and studied in other rheumatic diseases, like RA. Why hadn’t the connection been more fully explored with OA?”
Power will look for predictors of fatigue in OA, paying particular attention to pain and depression. She will pull data for her study from a cohort developed by Gillian Hawker, MD, a rheumatologist at Women’s University Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Hawker followed a cohort of patients for nearly a decade, so her data provide a wealth of information for Power.
Her initial hypothesis is that pain and depression are directly linked to the level of fatigue in OA patients, but measuring these factors separately can be challenging, involving a variety of analytical methods and multiple data sources. Ultimately, Power hopes to gain a better understanding of how fatigue plays into disability with OA patients, because it is a huge cost factor associated with rheumatic diseases not only in Canada, but worldwide.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” says Power. “I am excited to be able to add to the knowledge base. Hopefully, my work can draw more attention to issues of fatigue and disability as related to OA, maybe even leading to better management of fatigue in OA and lower incidences of disability.”
After completing her research project, Power plans to continue focusing on the epidemiology of rheumatic diseases, with particular emphasis on OA.
Once their projects are complete, Kanna and Power will present their findings at a future ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting.
