[Spondyloarthritis and quality of life]

To measure the disease activity of spondyloarthritides (SpA), quality of life is assessed in addition to inflammation and functional impairment. To measure quality of life in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the generic measurement instruments SF-36, SF-12 and EQ-5D are available in German, whereby the SF-36 is the instrument primarily used in clinical investigations. Compared to the normal population, AS patients experience a reduced quality of life. In woman and patients with a poor educational background, quality of life was particularly reduced.Measuring quality of life is also a generally recognised part of evaluating psoriasis arthritis (PsA), for which only SF-36 and EQ-5D are available in German-speaking countries. The instrument most frequently used in clinical studies is SF-36. The quality of life in PsA patients, in terms of both physical and mental components, was found to be significantly lower than in the normal population. Although PsA patients shared a similar reduction in quality of life to AS patients, they nevertheless enjoyed a better quality of life than rheumatoid arthritis patients.