HEALTH-STATUS IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - CROSS-CULTURAL EVALUATION OF A PORTUGUESE VERSION OF THE ARTHRITIS IMPACT MEASUREMENT SCALES-2 (BRAZIL-AIMS2)

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.