Study Objective: To assess whether scores on a simple self-report questionnaire to depict the clinical status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis are correlated with traditional measures of physical, radiographic, laboratory, functional, and global status.
Design: The self-report questionnaire was administered at the same time the following variables were assessed: American Rheumatism Association functional class, joint count, hand radiograph, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor titer, walking time, grip strength, button test, and global self-assessment.
Setting: University rheumatology clinic, the rheumatology clinic of a Veterans Administration hospital, and a private rheumatology practice.
Patients: The study included 259 patients who met the criteria