The RADAI is valid to assess disease activity in RA patients. However, the RADAI may not automatically replace other measures of disease activity, such as the DAS28.

Clinical quality management (CQM) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aims to reduce inflammatory activity and pain in the short term, and damage, and consequently disability, in the long term. Within CQM as used in Switzerland rheumatologists are provided with a measurement feedback system with which they can regularly follow their patients. Inflammatory activity is measured with the Disease Activity Score (DAS28) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index questionnaire (RADAI), damage with an X-ray score and disability with the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Feedback is used to optimize therapy, which in the short term allows the activity of the inflammatory process to be adjusted or 'titrated'. In the long term, the therapy result for the individual patient is monitored by the course of disability and damage. In this paper we present a series of cases to illustrate the usefulness of the CQM system in the management of individual RA patients. CQM in RA may be helpful when making decisions about adjustment of treatment, and to document and communicate these decisions based on quantitative data.

Objective: To investigate by a cross sectional study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) the relationship between measures of impairment, activity limitation, and participation of the model of functioning and disability (ICIDH-2). Methods: Inclusion data of patients with RA (n=803) from the Swiss Clinical Quality Management Group were used. Impairments were measured by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) bodily pain scale, rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index (RADAI), disease activity score (DAS28), and radiographic scoring (x ray). Activity limitation was measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the SF-36 physical functioning scale. Participation was measured with the SF-36 role and social functioning scales. Spearman (partial) correlations were used for analysis. Results: Impairment and activity limitation dimensions of the ICIDH-2 model are related; correlations with the HAQ were: SF-36 bodily pain (r s =−0.61), RADAI (r s =0.58), DAS28 (r s =0.49), and x ray (r s =0.35). Similar correlations were found for SF-36 physical functioning. Activity limitation and participation restriction dimensions are also related: the HAQ correlates well with SF-36 role-physical (r s =−0.53) and SF-36 social functioning (r s =−0.43); SF-36 physical functioning correlates similarly. For impairment and participation restriction dimensions only SF-36 bodily pain is substantially correlated (r s =0.47 and 0.48) with SF-36 role-physical, after correcting for the influence of the activity limitation dimension (HAQ and SF-36 physical functioning). Conclusions: In this cross sectional study of patients with RA, impairments are associated with activity limitations, and activity limitations are associated with participation restrictions. Pain is the only impairment directly associated with participation restrictions. Based on the results of this study, it is strongly recommended that the ICIDH-2 framework is used in clinical trials and observational studies including the assessment of disease consequences in RA.

Eyrich GKH, Harder C, Sailer HF, Langenegger T, Bruder E, Michel BA: Primary chronic osteomyelitis associated with synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis (SAPHO syndrome). J Oral Pathol Med 1999; 28: 456–64. © Munksgaard, 1999. Diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis may indicate the mandibular localisation of the SAPHO syndrome. Twelve patients with diffuse sclerosis of the mandible were examined for symptoms of the SAPHO syndrome. Nine patients were found to have primary chronic osteomyelitis and eight of these represented a SAPHO syndrome. Results in this series support the hypothesis of an association between primary chronic osteomyelitis and the SAPHO syndrome.

Two sisters with diffuse chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible and the humerus and the synovitis, acne, pustolosis, hyperostosis and osteitis syndrome (SAPHO syndrome) are presented. The diagnoses of diffuse chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis at the age of 12 years and 27 years, respectively, were based on typical medical history, clinical symptoms and radiographic, histologic and scintigraphic findings. Because skin lesions and scintigraphic enhancement of the sternoclavicular joints with hyperostosis were present, a SAPHO syndrome was diagnosed in both sisters. Microbiological cultures of biopsy specimens revealed coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus at the humerus and Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Streptococcus, Actinomyces and Veilonella species at the mandible. Repeated operative procedures, including decortications, resection and reconstruction, and multiple histologic and microbiologic studies were performed over a period of up to 20 years. Since HLA typing yielded identical gene loci, we suggest that hereditary and autoimmune factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of these cases.