AB1136 Predictors of Functional Disability in a Multi-Ethnic Asian Arthritis Cohort Results from the Singapore Early Arthritis Cohort

BackgroundDisease activity and comorbidity are known to predict functional disability in early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) in Europe and North America; however predictors in Asian patients are not well described.ObjectivesTo examine the predictors of functional disability at first presentation in a prospective, multi-ethnic, Asian inception cohort of patients with early IP.MethodsWe prospectively recruited all adult patients with inflammatory arthritis affecting ≥2 peripheral joints and symptom onset after September 1, 2012 from the only two hospitals serving Western Singapore. Baseline data on demographics, rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) positivity, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, comorbidity, disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) and its components, and physical function (modified Health Assessment Questionnaire, mHAQ) were collected by face to face interview, chart review and assessment by a trained nurse. mHAQ ≥1 was defined as high functional disability. Predictors of high mHAQ were determined by univariate logistic regression and those with p value