The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity and Function Indices

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The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity and Function Indices (BASDAI and

BASFI) and their correlation with main symptoms experienced by patients with

spondyloarthritis

http://www.springerlink.com/content/e078500m1v30h5l3/

Journal Clinical Rheumatology

Springer Link Date Sunday, March 14, 2010

Abstract

With the aim of assessing whether the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity

and Function Indices (BASDAI and BASFI) are reliable measures of disease

activity and function in patients with spondyloarthritides (SpAs), 341

patients with SpA (representing ankylosing spondylitis (14.5%), psoriatic

arthritis (27.3%), enteropathic arthritis (6.3%), reactive arthritis (4.9%),

and undifferentiated arthritis (46.5%) were asked to complete the BASDAI and

BASFI.

They were asked to report what their main problems associated with the

disease were from a list of seven symptoms: fatigue, neck pain, upper back

pain, lower back pain, stiffness, joint pain or swelling, and pain with

pressure on joints.

Correlations between the main symptoms experienced by patients with SpAs and

the indices, defined by Spearman's correlation coefficient, showed that

BASDAI best correlated with neck pain [bASDAI 2 and total BASDAI score

correlate strongly (p?=?0.003 and 0.001, respectively), and BASDAI 1, 4, and

5 correlate moderately (p?=?0.03, 0.02, and 0.01, respectively)], followed

by stiffness, upper back pain, pain with pressure, lower back pain, fatigue,

and joint pain.

Stiffness correlated strongly with nine of ten items on BASFI (BASFI 1

showed moderate correlation, p?=?0.01), followed by upper back pain (four of

ten items correlated strongly, three of ten correlated moderately), neck

pain (three of ten tasks correlated strongly and four of ten correlated

moderately), lower back pain (one task correlated strongly, five

moderately), joint pain and swelling (four tasks correlated moderately),

fatigue (three tasks correlated moderately), and pain with pressure (two

tasks correlated moderately).

BASDAI and BASFI only partly reflect disease activity and patients'

functional capacity in SpAs. An alternate instrument is required to assess

SpA disease activity and functional capacity more precisely.