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Abstract: Aim: The purpose of this study was to translate the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index‐5 (RADAI‐5), which is a tool for measuring disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, into Turkish language and prove its validity, reliability and sensitivity to changes. Methods: Translation from the original German version was performed according to the standardized methods. One hundred and two patients with RA completed in the Turkish RADAI‐5 twice within 3 days interval. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability was investigated by calculating Cronbach's alpha and intra‐class correlation coefficients (ICC), respectively. Validity was assessed by analyzing the correlations between the Turkish RADAI‐5 and some measurement tools evaluating the disease activity, functional status and quality of life. To test the scale's responsiveness to the changes, another 23 patients with uncontrolled disease activity and three newly diagnosed RA patients completed the RADAI‐5 before and after a biologic agent or methotrexate treatment. Results: There were no floor or ceiling effects. Cronbach's alpha (0.91) and ICC (0.997) values certified the Turkish version's reliability. Strong correlations between the Turkish questionnaire and Disease Activity Score‐28 (DAS28), DAS28‐CRP, DAS28‐three variables, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire, patient's and doctor's global assessments, tender joint count proved the convergent validity of the scale. Effect size (3.08) demonstrated that the Turkish RADAI‐5 is sensitive to the changes. Conclusion: The Turkish RADAI‐5 is a feasible, reliable and valid questionnaire and sensitive to changes; thus it can be used to monitor disease activity in Turkish RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to report Turkish League Against Rheumatism's assessment on the compliance of European League Against Rheumatism 2013 treatment recommendations for rheumatoid arthritis with practices in Turkish rheumatology clinics and adaptations for Turkey. Materials and methods: Members of Turkish League Against Rheumatism and one rheumatoid arthritis patient voted for the 2013 recommendations of the European League Against Rheumatism for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in two sessions. An item was changed and voted again only if at least 70% of participants wanted a change. Strength of recommendations was calculated for the items. Strength of recommendations for the changed items in the first and second voting rounds was compared by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. In case of significant difference, the item with higher strength of recommendation was accepted. In case of no difference, the changed item was selected. Results: Three overarching principles and fourteen recommendations were assessed among which the three overarching principles were changed emphasizing the importance of physiatrists as well as rheumatologists for taking care of the patients. Third item was changed by adding composite indices for assessing disease activity. In the ninth recommendation, rituximab was suggested as a first line drug independent of situations like latent tuberculosis or lymphoma, etc. In the 11th recommendation, unlike European League Against Rheumatism, our committee did not suggest any thought about tofacitinib, as then it had not been approved in Turkey. Remaining principles were accepted as the same. Conclusion: Expert opinion of Turkish League Against Rheumatism for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients was formed for practices in Turkish clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to determine disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index-5 (RADAI-5), and to evaluate its association with the quality of life, pain, fatigue, and functional and psychological status. Patients and methods: A total of 170 rheumatoid arthritis patients (30 males, 140 females; mean age 55.2±11.3 years; range 28 to 82 years) were included in the study. Quality of life was evaluated by using Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale. Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire was used for evaluating functional status, and Beck Depression Scale for psychological status. Level of fatigue was assessed by Fatigue Severity Scale. Disease activity was measured by using Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) and RADAI-5. Results: Mean RADAI-5 score was 3.9±2.7, and mean DAS28 score was 3.3±1.4 (moderate disease activity). According to RADAI-5, 16.5% of the patients were in remission, 28% had mild disease activity, 27% had moderate disease activity, and 29% had high disease activity. RADAI-5 was strongly correlated with visual analog scale-pain, DAS28, Beck Depression Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (r= 0.91, 0.81, 0.78, 0.75, 0.75 and 0.72, respectively) (p<0.0001). Disease activity values measured with RADAI- 5 were compatible with the ones measured with DAS28. Conclusion: RADAI-5 is a short, practical questionnaire that can easily be administered by the patient in a busy clinical practice setting. It can be used as a rheumatoid arthritis outcome measure to estimate the impact of the disease and evaluate health outcome in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the associations between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), mean platelet volume, and platelet- lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis. Patients and methods: The study included 103 patients (63 males, 40 females; mean age 40.7±12.0 years; range 20 to 70 years) with ankylosing spondylitis and 70 healthy controls (43 males, 27 females; mean age 42.7±15.3 years; range 18 to 66 years). All participants' age, sex, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and mean platelet volume levels, total white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts were recorded while patients' Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index scores, medication types, duration of disease and medication use were recorded. Patients were divided into three groups: healthy controls (group 1), patients having BASDAI scores <4 with mild disease activity (group 2, n=73), and patients having BASDAI scores =4 with moderate-severe disease activity (group 3, n=30). NLR and PLR values were calculated. Results: Counts of neutrophil, NLR, C-reactive protein levels and PLR were significantly higher in group 3 compared to groups 1 and 2 (p<0.05). BASDAI scores were correlated weakly with neutrophil counts, NLR and PLR, and correlated moderately with C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study results indicate that, in ankylosing spondylitis, mean platelet volume is not associated with disease activity, whereas NLR and PLR may reflect disease activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial Mediterranean fever is a genetic disorder restricted to certain ethnic groups and marked by acute attacks of serositis and the insidious development of amyloidosis. As well as arthritis, spondyloarthropathy may be encountered in the course of the disease. Vasculitis seems to be an important but not an adequately recognized feature of familial Mediterranean fever. In this article, we present a rare case of coexistence of familial Mediterranean fever, Behçet's disease and sacroiliitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]