Postural control, stability in voluntary movements in response to external disturbances and proprioception are basic elements for maintaining balance. People with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) have difficulty maintaining postural control, undermining the balance in the Activities of Daily Living (ADL's), making it an important risk factor for falls. The present study aimed to evaluate the body balance of individuals with RA, according to the level of disease activity. We evaluated 24 individuals with 54.66±9.52 years. All underwent a questionnaire identification and medical history, anthropometric measurements, blood sampling for analysis of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), determining the level of disease activity using the DAS-28 and equilibrium through tests: Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and TUG. Patients were divided into three groups: low, moderate and high disease activity. The results of equilibrium tests showed that, although the sample has presented low risk for falls, the group in high disease activity had higher frequency distribution (57.2%) in scores between 48-52 in the BBS compared to the moderate activity group, whose frequency distribution prevailed in the scores between 53 and 56 (92.3%-p<0.05). It was also observed differences in the time of the TUG execution between groups high (11.86±4.62 s) and moderate (9.71±0.90 s) disease activity (p<0.05). These data show that the level of disease activity can influence the achievement of the BBS and TUG tests, suggesting an increased risk of falls or even a dependency in performing their ADL's due to the increased level of disease activity.
Arthritis, Reumatoid; Postural Balance; C-Reactive Protein; Activities of Daily Living
