AB0252 Comparison Between Clinical and Ultrasonographic Simplified Disease Activity Index in Rheumatoid Arthritis

BackgroundNew generation of scores to evaluate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity has been developed with current insights the importance of close monitoring patients and controlling disease activity. The Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) is simple and easy score, it is well correlated to the RA activity and is less time-consuming in calculation than DAS. In the other hand, ultrasonography (US) showed more sensitivity in detecting synovitis than clinical examination.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to compare the clinical and US activity of RA by the SDAI and the US-SDAI.MethodsFifty patients followed-up for active RA were included. The SDAI was calculated by the numerical summation of the number of tender joints, swollen joints (/28 joints), the patient's and doctor's evaluation of the disease and the C protein reactive value. Then patients underwent US examination by a radiologist experimented and blinded to clinical data. Twenty two joints of the hands were scanned (wrists, 10 metacarpophalangeal and 10 proximal inter-phalangeal). The US-SDAI was calculated by replacing the swollen joints of the hands by joints expressing B-mode or Power Doppler activity in the US exam.ResultsFifty patients were recruited with a mean age of 53,8 years-old [26-78]. Females outnumbered males (42/8). The mean duration of illness was 3,6 years [0,5-15]. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 55% of patients. The mean number of swollen joints of hands found in physical exam was 4 and was 4,2 for US (p=0.82). The mean value of US-SDAI (29.2) was a little bit higher than the clinical one (29) and the difference was not significant (p=0.82). There was a highly significant positive correlation between SDAI and US-SDAI (p