Validity and discriminant ability of the HAQ Functional Index in early rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

A sensitive and valid instrument is needed in the earliest stages of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for the measurement of functional disability. A French version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Functional Disability Index (HAQ) has been developed, validated in an early RA sample (i.e. with disease duration < 5 yr; n= 50), and compared with longstanding RA (n= 32) and control subjects (n=59). Five factors provided by principal components analysis accounted for 75% of the variability of the HAQ score (construct validity). It appeared to be significantly correlated with clinical and radiological variables and to be reproducible (r intraclass = 0.964). It proved to be discriminant in groups with various levels of disability (HAQ score = 1–332 in early RA, 1–745 in longstanding RA, and 0–152 in controls; p<10″⁵). Finally, the validity of the original scoring method of the HAQ, as compared with other scoring methods, was confirmed.

Key Words:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire
• functional abilities

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jacques Pourel

It is with great sadness that we have to inform the readership of the Journal that shortly after completing the final editorial work on this Special Issue, Professor Kalman Jacob Mann was seriously injured in a car accident and subsequently died.

Professor Mann was responsible for establishing the two Hadassah Hospitals and Community Health Centres in Jerusalem and for the past 20 years headed the Presidium of Yad Sarah, Israel's largest community based, volunteer operated organization which provides a spectrum of free or nominal cost home care services nation-wide.

We offer our condolences to his family and friends, and trust that this Special Issue stands as a testament to his work in the field.