The relationship between stiffness and quality of life (QoL) remains unclear. We therefore aimed to examine the role of pain and function in linking stiffness and QoL in patients with axSpA.
We used cross-sectional data from a registry of axSpA patients in a tertiary referral centre to assess the links among stiffness, pain and function on QoL. Path analysis was used to analyse the associations between these domains, pursuing four hypotheses: H
Data from 221 patients (Mean age 38.5, 79.0% males and 83.1% Chinese) were analyzed. Our mediation model achieved good fit (χ
Optimization of QoL in patients with stiffness in axSpA requires effective control of both function and pain. Physiotherapy, exercises and medications may improve the QoL in these patients.