FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - EVALUATION USING THE FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE MEASURE AND THE REINTEGRATIONTO NORMAL LIVING INDEX

Functional disability and quality of life were evaluated using the Fun ctional Independence Measure and the Reintegration to Normal Liviing I ndex, respectively, in 57 subjects (15 men and 42 women) with a mean d isease duration of 15 years. Scores on both these nonspecific scales c orrelated with those obtained using instruments specifically designed for rheumatoid arthritis (ARA index, Lee index) and with a number of c linical parameters including patient age, disease duration, and number of affected joints. Functional ability was correlated with quality of life in this study and in others performed using other evaluation too ls. Nonspecific assessment scales are useful for comparing function an d quality of life in various diseases.