الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The measurement of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis reflects the complicated nature of the disease: elements include the number of tender and swollen joints, pain, function, inflammation, and an overall assessment by both the individual and the physician. Historically, RA clinical trials assessed and reported a variable number of these components, making it difficult to compare therapies; this approach also allowed discretion regarding which measures to report. Modern medical care has been greatly advanced through quantitative measures to describe clinical problems as numerical data. Four types of Quantitative measures, joint counts, radiographic scores, laboratory tests, and patient self-report questionnaires, have been widely used in quantitative assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis , of these measures can stand alone as a single “gold standard” to assess each individual patient in clinical trials and clinical care. All quantitative clinical measures have advantages and limitations for diagnosis, prognosis, an Successful management of rheumatoid arthritis depends upon control of disease exacerbations, limitation of functional disability by minimizing joint damage and judicious use of drugs. Tight control of disease activity is the best way to prevent disability and monitoring patient status. |