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Ankylosing spondylitis: how should the disease be assessed?
Maxime Dougados1, Désirée van der Heijde
1René Descartes University, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France.
Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology
|October 31, 2002
Summary
Spondyloarthropathy patients require consistent assessment of four key features during each visit. New recommendations aim to improve patient monitoring using available instruments for pain, function, and mobility, while identifying needs for further research.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Assessment
- Spondyloarthropathy
Background:
- Spondyloarthropathies encompass axial, peripheral articular, enthesopathy, and extra-articular features.
- Comprehensive assessment is crucial for effective patient management.
- Existing monitoring tools address key domains like pain and mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish recommendations for monitoring spondyloarthropathies.
- To guide short- and long-term patient management.
- To identify areas needing further instrument development.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing assessment instruments for spondyloarthropathies.
- Focus on domains including pain, functional disability, and spinal mobility.
- Identification of gaps in current assessment tools.
Main Results:
- Several instruments are available for assessing core domains.
- The need for instruments evaluating structural severity was highlighted.
- Recommendations are being developed for comprehensive patient monitoring.
Conclusions:
- Consistent assessment of all four clinical features is vital.
- Further development of assessment instruments is needed for certain domains.
- Established recommendations will enhance spondyloarthropathy patient care.