L. Brandao et al., HEALTH-STATUS IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - CROSS-CULTURAL EVALUATION OF A PORTUGUESE VERSION OF THE ARTHRITIS IMPACT MEASUREMENT SCALES-2 (BRAZIL-AIMS2), Journal of rheumatology, 25(8), 1998, pp. 1499-1501
Objective. To develop a Portuguese version of the Arthritis Impact Mea
surement Scales 2 (AIMS2) and to evaluate its measurement properties i
n Brazilian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. The BRAS
IL-AIMS2 was developed through the stages of initial translation, back
translation, definition of the first Portuguese version, and committe
e review. Convergent validity was determined by administering the ques
tionnaire to 32 patients with RA and correlating it with several clini
cal and laboratory variables. Twenty-five of the 32 patients were inte
rviewed 3 times to evaluate test-retest and interobserver reliability.
Results. Six translated questions were replaced due to the lack of cu
ltural equivalence. The mean time of administering the questionnaire w
as about 30 minutes. The test-retest and interobserver reliability wer
e satisfactory, except for Health Perception, and correlation coeffici
ents ranged from 0.87 to 0.98. The Physical, Symptom, and Role compone
nts were statistically correlated with Health Assessment Questionnaire
, functional class, morning stiffness, and physician assessed disease
activity. Conclusion. The Physical, Symptom, and Role subscales of the
BRASIL-AIMS2 may be useful in the evaluation of quality of life in Br
azilian patients with RA.