This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
New gout composite disease activity score found useful for clinical practice research
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
In clinical practice, the new gout activity score may allow rheumatologists to better assess patients’ disease activity and help them make objective decisions about treatment modifications.
“In addition, the efficacy of therapeutic strategies might be determined using an outcome measure that incorporates relevant patient-reported outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
An accurate evaluation of disease activity is a key part of gout treatment; however, up until now there have been no composite disease activity measures available. To develop the gout activity score (GAS), the researchers used a data-driven approach that relied on baseline and 1-year follow-up data collected in the multicenter, cohort Kick-Off the Italian Network for Gout study, which includes a nationwide sample of patients with gout treated at 30 rheumatology clinics across Italy.
First, the researchers defined disease activity as the existence of tissue deposits that cause acute arthritis and joint pain. “This definition is not merely focused on acute symptoms, but also on the patient-related consequences of a persistently active disease process,” the authors wrote.
The researchers derived a list of possible measures for the composite score from the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Gout Special Interest Group. In another survey, a group of rheumatologists selected the measures they felt best defined gout disease activity, such as disease severity and general health; serum urate levels; acute flares; patient-reported outcomes; tophus burden; and joint inflammation, the authors wrote. These candidate items are similar to those identified in previous research; the only difference is that the respondents included joint inflammation and excluded measures of joint function.
Then, the researchers used a three-step approach to provide the first validation for the GAS. Validation results showed two areas of significant correlation for the GAS: functional disability and the ability to discriminate between patient- and physician-reported measures of active disease, according to the authors. They were able to reproduce these results in an external sample.
Additional testing is necessary to confirm the clinical utility and responsiveness and generalizability of the GAS, the authors noted. – by Colleen Owens
Disclosure: Please see the full study for a complete list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts