Validation of rheumatoid arthritis improvement criteria that include simplified joint counts

Validation of rheumatoid arthritis improvement criteria that include simplified joint counts.

OBJECTIVE To study the validity of response criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that included 28-joint counts instead of more comprehensive joint counts. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 105 patients treated with methotrexate, sulfasalazine, or both, response was evaluated at week 52. Both European League Against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology definit...

Modified disease activity scores that include twenty-eight-joint counts. Development and validation in a prospective longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The development and validation of Modified Disease Activity Scores (DAS) that include different 28-joint counts. METHODS These scores were developed by canonical discriminant analyses and validated for criterion, correlational, and construct validity. The influence of disease duration on the composition of the DAS was also investigated. RESULTS No influence of disease duration was...

Joint counts in inflammatory arthritis.

OBJECTIVES Counting the number of tender and swollen joints is an important aspect of assessing patients with an inflammatory arthritis. We provide a comprehensive overview of joint counts in inflammatory arthritis. This spans how they are undertaken, their use in clinical and research settings, their limitations and standardisation and who can perform them. METHODS We reviewed the literature...

Value of self-performed joint counts in rheumatoid arthritis patients near remission

INTRODUCTION To determine the validity and reliability of patients' self-performed joint counts compared to joint counts by professional assessors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in different disease activity states. METHODS In patients with established RA we determined the inter-rater reliability of joint counts performed by an independent evaluator and the patient using intraclass cor...

Patient joint counts in rheumatoid arthritis--"cents-ible or cents-less?".