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Validation of a Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) for population studies
E W Karlson1, L H Daltroy, C Rivest
1Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Robert B. Brigham Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Clinical Research Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
A new Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) effectively screens for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity in large patient groups. This economical self-report tool aids in identifying patients needing further clinical evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Epidemiology
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) management requires accurate, economical tracking of disease activity in clinical studies.
- Existing methods for assessing SLE activity can be resource-intensive for large patient cohorts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an economical self-report questionnaire, the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ), for screening SLE disease activity.
- To assess the measurement properties of the SLAQ in a cohort of SLE patients.
Main Methods:
- The SLAQ was developed using items from the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM).
- 93 SLE patients completed the SLAQ before a clinical visit.
- A rheumatologist, blinded to SLAQ results, assessed disease activity using the SLAM (excluding laboratory items).
- Pearson correlations and Student's t-tests were used to compare SLAQ and SLAM scores and individual items.
Main Results:
- The SLAQ demonstrated a moderately high correlation with the SLAM (excluding laboratory items) (r = 0.62, P < 0.0001).
- Correlations between matched patient-clinician items ranged from 0.06 to 0.71.
- The SLAQ showed positive predictive values ranging from 56% to 89% for detecting clinically significant disease activity.
Conclusions:
- The SLAQ is a valid and economical tool for screening potential SLE disease activity through patient self-report.
- The SLAQ can help identify SLE patients who require further clinical evaluation, improving efficiency in large studies.
