CONSTRUCT-VALIDATION OF THE ACR-1991 REVISED CRITERIA FOR GLOBAL FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

In order to assess the construct and discriminatory validity of the 19 91 ACR functional status criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a cro ss-sectional analysis of 62 consecutive patients with RA (according to the American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria) who were a ttending the outpatient clinic of rheumatology, University Hospital Zu rich, was carried out. A moderate-to-strong association of the ACR cri teria with pain (r=0.54), the tender (r=0.54) and swollen joint count (r=0.31), grip strength (r=-0.49), C-reactive protein (r=0.35), the HA Q disability index (r=O.76), self-perceived global health (r=0.58), an d the Larsen radiological score (r=0.32) was found. The mean scores of most disease parameters and all 8 domains of the health assessment qu estionnaire were significantly different between, and increased regula rly across, the 4 classes. We conclude that the ACR 1991 functional st atus criteria for RA are a valid measure of the consequences of impair ment and discriminate well the physical functional status.