OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have examined the humanistic burden of rheumatoid arthritis; however, less research has been conducted to understand the factors that are most strongly associated with the health-related quality of life of these patients. METHODS: Data from the European 2010 National Health and Wellness Survey (an annual survey of respondents from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) were used in the current study. Only respondents who reported being diagnosed with RA (N=498) were included in the analyses. Health state utilities (SF-6D), derived from the SF-12, were examined on a bivariate level across a variety of subgroups (e.g., years diagnosed, treatment status, comorbidities, joints affected, etc). Health state utilities were also predicted from demographic and patient characteristic information using multiple regressions.  RESULTS: A total of 498 patients (0.86%) reported being diagnosed with RA.  These patients were mostly female (64.3%) and had an average age of 52.3 years. Most patients were diagnosed with RA for more than 10 years (55.8%). Several demographic and patient characteristic factors were significantly associated with health state utilities. RA patients in Spain (Adjusted Mean=0.60) and Italy (Adjusted mean=0.53) had the highest and lowest, respectively, utility scores. Severe RA (Adjusted mean=0.51), comorbid Crohn’s disease (Adjusted mean=0.52), and RA affecting the spine (Adjusted mean=0.54) were associated with the largest decrements in utility scores (all ps<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although previous studies have documented the burden of RA in Europe, the current study suggests that burden is not uniform. Certain geographies, particularly Italy, are associated with a greater burden for patients with RA.  Similarly, patient characteristics, such as arthritis of the spine and comorbid Crohn’s disease, have a large effect on the quality of life of these patients. These results suggest a more comprehensive assessment of patient characteristics is necessary to fully capture the quality of life burden of RA.