CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSESSMENT AND SUBGROUP COMPARISON OF FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS IN A SWEDISH HEALTH-CARE DISTRICT

A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 222 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within a Swedish health-care district. An exploratory analysis of functional status, according to a Swedish version of the H ealth Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), was carried out in order to expl ore the extent and pattern of functional disability in an unselected g roup of individuals with RA. The mean score of functional disability a ccording to HAQ increased with more clinical manifest disease. There w ere no significant differences between the mean score in men and women . Most functional disability was related to hand-grip function and the ability to take care of personal hygiene. Increased functional disabi lity was significantly associated with increasing age and disease dura tion. There was no significant relation between functional status and housing condition and educational level. A strong correlation was foun d between pain and functional disability. Multiple regression analysis was performed and predictive functional scores were tabulated based u pon sex, age at onset and duration of RA disease.