M. Mosca et al., The validity of the ECLAM index for the retrospective evaluation of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus, LUPUS, 9(6), 2000, pp. 445-450
Aim: To determine whether the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement
Index (ECLAM) can be used to evaluate disease activity in patients retrosp
ectively from the data provided in their clinical charts.
Methods: The ECLAM score was calculated twice in a series of 64 consecutive
SLE patients: first for each patient during the course of a standard clini
cal evaluation (direct-ECLAM), and then one to two weeks later solely on th
e basis of the data provided in the patient's clinical chart (chart-ECLAM).
The scorings for each patient were performed by two different assessors.
Results: The direct-ECLAM and chart-ECLAM scores were highly correlated (Sp
earman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.86). The regression line was not
significantly different from the identity line (t-test). The Pearson's coef
ficient was 0.88. The interobserver variability of the chart-ECLAM showed a
low inter-rater variability.
Conclusion: ECLAM could represent a valid and reliable instrument for the r
etrospective analysis of disease activity in SLE patients.