Rheumatology 2001; 40: 896-906
© 2001 British Society for Rheumatology
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Outcome measures and classification criteria for the rheumatic diseases. A compilation of data from OMERACT (Outcome Measures for Arthritis Clinical Trials), ILAR (International League of Associations for Rheumatology), regional leagues and other groups
The University of Queensland, Edith Cavell Building, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia and
1 Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| Introduction |
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The International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) has been meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a regular basis to discuss issues of mutual interest. Over the last few years these meetings have focused on the development of outcome measures in the rheumatic diseases, principally driven through OMERACT (Outcome Measures for Arthritis Clinical Trials). OMERACT has now held five meetings addressing a number of important areas in rheumatology, including clinical and imaging outcome measures, health economics and drug safety. The advantage of the WHO/ILAR Task Force Meeting has been to ratify these measures and allow them to be promulgated widely around the world.
This paper summarizes discussions which took place at the Sixth Joint WHO/ILAR Task Force Meeting on Rheumatic Diseases which was held in Geneva on 16 January 2000. This meeting reviewed a number of outcome measures for rheumatic diseases that had been developed over the past few years under the aegis of OMERACT. The WHO/ILAR meeting formally endorsed these outcome measures and acknowledged them as the gold standard for outcome measures in these conditions.
At the same meeting, a series of criteria for the classification of rheumatic diseases was also reviewed. These criteria have also been established through discussion by a number of different organizations, including ILAR, the American College of Rheumatology and EULAR (the European League of Associations for Rheumatology). These classification criteria have been put together by experts and have been adopted widely throughout the world. The meeting recommended that WHO/ILAR adopt these well-recognized classification criteria and encourage their use in clinical and epidemiological studies. It should be noted that classification criteria should not be used as diagnostic criteria but for the purposes of classifying patients in studies. An understanding of this concept will help in the interpretation of many clinical studies.
| Outcome measures for rheumatoid arthritis |
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The outcome measures for rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials were developed at OMERACT 1 [1] and are very similar to those developed by the ACR [2]. The recommendations for the preliminary core set were:
- acute-phase reactants
- disability
- joint pain/tenderness
- joint swelling
- pain
- patient global assessment
- physician global assessment
- radiographs for studies of 1 yr or longer.
- disability
| Outcome measures for osteoarthritis |
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These outcome measures for future phase III clinical studies in hip, knee and hand osteoarthritis were developed at OMERACT 3 and were published in the Journal of Rheumatology [3]. The core set of outcome measures in osteoarthritis should be:
- pain
- physical function
- patient global assessment
- joint imaging (using standardized methods for taking and rating radiographs, or any demonstrably superior imaging technique) for studies of 1 yr or longer.
- physical function
Quality of life and/or utility measures are also strongly recommended, but further work should be carried out to assess the usefulness of biological markers, stiffness, measures of inflammation and other assessments such as performance-based measures, time to surgery, flares or analgesic consumption before they are accepted as core measures.
| Outcome measures for ankylosing spondylitis |
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This core set of endpoints in ankylosing spondylitis clinical trials was developed at OMERACT 4 and published in the Journal of Rheumatology [4]. Defined core sets have been developed for use in four settings: disease-controlling anti-rheumatic therapy (DC-ART), symptom-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (SM-ARD) and physical therapy, and for clinical record keeping. These are as follows:
SM-ARD and physical therapy
- physical function
- spinal stiffness
- patient global assessment
- spinal mobility and pain
- spinal stiffness
Clinical record keeping
- add acute-phase reactants and peripheral joints/ entheses
DC-ART
- add fatigue
- hip radiograph
- spine radiograph.
- hip radiograph
| Outcomes measures for systemic lupus erythematosus |
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A core set of outcome measures and response criteria were developed during OMERACT 4 and published in the Journal of Rheumatology [5, 6].
The core outcome domains to be measured in both randomized clinical trials and longitudinal observation studies in systemic lupus erythematosus are:
- disease activity
- health-related quality of life
- damage
- toxicity/adverse events.
- health-related quality of life
| Outcome measures for osteoporosis |
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The core endpoints for osteoporosis trials were discussed at OMERACT 3 and subsequently published in the Journal of Rheumatology [7].
The outcome measures for osteoporosis trials were discussed according to two broad groupings of trials: randomized trials where prevention of rapid bone loss was the primary aim and randomized trials where prevention of fractures may be a feasible outcome because patients were already at high risk of osteoporotic fractures either on the basis of low bone mass or previous osteoporotic fracture.
Randomized trials where prevention of rapid bone loss was the primary aim
Two core outcome measures of clinical benefit were considered appropriate:
- (a) bone minimum density (measured at two sites: the lumbar spine and proximal femur);
- (b) biochemical markers which should include at least one resorption marker (which should be based on a urinary cross-linked excretion) and at least one formation marker.
- (b) biochemical markers which should include at least one resorption marker (which should be based on a urinary cross-linked excretion) and at least one formation marker.
Non-core outcome measures of clinical benefit were considered to be:
- (a) fractures;
- (b) quality of life;
- (c) change in height (measured in a standardized manner).
- (b) quality of life;
Randomized trials of fracture prevention in high-risk populations
The core outcome measures of benefit were:
- (a) fracture;
- (b) hip and spine bone mineral density;
- (c) biochemical markers;
- (d) change in height.
- (b) hip and spine bone mineral density;
The non-core outcome measures of benefit in these studies would include:
- (a) quality of life instrument;
- (b) back pain measure;
- (c) economic evaluation, including health service utilization such as hospitalization, cotherapy, etc.;
- (d) measure of incident falls.
- (b) back pain measure;
It was recommended that these studies should be of 35 yr duration.
| Criteria for the classification of rheumatic diseases |
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Ankylosing spondylitis
The 1961 Rome criteria for ankylosing spondylitis [8]
- Low back pain and stiffness for more than 3 months not relieved by rest;
- Pain and stiffness of the thoracic region;
- Limited motion in lumbar spine;
- Limited chest expansion;
- Evidence or history of iritis or its sequelae.
- Pain and stiffness of the thoracic region;
Requirements: either positive radiographs (bilateral SI) and one or more clinical criteria, or four out of five clinical criteria.
The 1966 New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis [9]
- (1) Presence of history of pain at dorsolumbar junction or in lumbar spine;
- (2) Limitation of motion in anterior flexion, lateral flexion and extension;
- (3) Limitation of chest expansion to 1 inch (2.5 cm) or less at the fourth intercostal space.
- (2) Limitation of motion in anterior flexion, lateral flexion and extension;
Requirements: either positive radiographs (grade 34 bilateral sacroiliac) and one or more clinical criteria, or grade 34 unilateral or grade 2 bilateral SI with clinical criterion (2) or with clinical criteria (1) and (3).
The European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group classification for spondyloarthropathy [10]
- Inflammatory spinal pain
- or
- synovitis
- asymmetric
- predominantly in the lower limbs
- or
and one or more of the following:
- alternate buttock pain;
- sacroiliitis;
- enthesopathy;
- positive family history;
- psoriasis;
- inflammatory bowel disease;
- urethritis or cervicitis or acute diarrhoea occurring within 1 month before arthritis.
- sacroiliitis;
Domains of the core sets for SM-ARD/physical therapy, clinical record keeping and DC-ART as endorsed by Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis Working Group/OMERACT/ILAR [11]
Level 1, SM-ARD/physical therapy:
- physical function;
- pain;
- spinal mobility;
- spinal stiffness;
- patient global assessment.
- pain;
Level 2, Clinical record keeping:
- acute-phase reactants;
- peripheral joints/entheses.
- peripheral joints/entheses.
Level 3, DC-ART:
- spine radiograph;
- hip radiograph;
- fatigue.
- hip radiograph;
| Behçet's disease [12] |
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Findings applicable only in the absence of other clinical explanations.
| ChurgStrauss syndrome [13] |
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aHistory of allergy, other than asthma or drug-related, is included only in the tree classification criteria set and not in the traditional format criteria set, which requires four or more of the six other items listed here.
| Fibromyalgia [14] |
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History of widespread pain
Definition: Pain is considered widespread when all of the following are present: pain in the left side of the body, pain in the right side of the body, pain above the waist, and pain below the waist. In addition, axial skeletal pain (cervical spine or anterior chest or thoracic spine or low back) must be present. In this definition, shoulder and buttock pain is considered as pain for each involved. Low back pain is considered lower segment pain.
Pain in 11 of 18 tender point sites on digital palpation
Definition: Pain, on digital palpation, must be present in at least 11 of the following 18 tender point sites:
- occiputbilateral, at the suboccipital muscle insertions;
- low cervicalbilateral, at the anterior aspects of the intertransverse spaces at C5C7;
- trapeziusbilateral, at the midpoint of the upper border;
- supraspinatusbilateral, at origins, above the scapula spine near the medial border;
- second ribbilateral, at the second costochondral junctions, just lateral to the junctions on upper surfaces;
- lateral epicondylebilateral, 2 cm distal to the epicondyles;
- glutealbilateral, in upper outer quadrants of buttocks in anterior fold of muscle;
- kneebilateral, at the medial fat pad proximal to the joint line.
- low cervicalbilateral, at the anterior aspects of the intertransverse spaces at C5C7;
Digital palpation should be performed with an approximate force of 4 kg.
For a tender point to be considered positive the subject must state that the palpation was painful. Tender is not to be considered painful.
For classification purposes, patients will be said to have fibromyalgia if both criteria are satisfied. Widespread pain must have been present for at least 3 months. The presence of a second clinical disorder does not exclude the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
| Giant cell arteritis [15] |
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The 1990 criteria for the classification of giant cell (temporal) arteritis (traditional format)
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For the purposes of classification, a patient shall be said to have giant cell (temporal) arteritis if at least three of these five criteria are present. The presence of any three or more criteria yields a sensitivity of 93.5% and a specificity of 91.2%.
Criteria and definitions used for the classification of giant cell (temporal) arteritis (tree format)
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aUsed as a surrogate if artery biopsy is not available [criterion (2)] or if temporal artery abnormality is not present [criterion (5)].
| Gout [16] |
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- (a) The presence of characteristic urate crystals in the joint fluid, and/or
- (b) a tophus proved to contain urate crystals by chemical or polarized light microscopic means, and/or
- (c) the presence of six of the 12 clinical, laboratory, and X-ray phenomena listed below:
- (b) a tophus proved to contain urate crystals by chemical or polarized light microscopic means, and/or
maximum inflammation in 1 day;
- more than one attack;
- monoarticular arthritis;
- redness;
- first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP) pain or swelling;
- unilateral first MTP;
- unilateral tarsal;
- suspected tophus;
- hyperuricaemia;
- asymmetric swelling;
- subcortical cysts, no erosions;
- negative organisms on culture.
- monoarticular arthritis;
| HenochSchönlein purpura [17] |
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The 1990 criteria for the classification of HenochSchönlein purpura (traditional format)
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For the purposes of classification, a patient shall be said to have HenochSchönlein purpura if at least two of these four criteria are present. The presence of any two or more criteria yields a sensitivity of 87.1% and a specificity of 87.7%.
Criteria and definitions used for the classification of HenochSchönlein purpura (tree format)
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| Hypersensitivity vasculitis [18] |
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The 1990 criteria for the classification of hypersensitivity vasculitis (traditional format)
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For the purposes of classification, a patient shall be said to have hypersensitivity vasculitis if at least three of these five criteria are present. The presence of any three or more criteria yields a sensitivity of 71.0% and a specificity of 83.9%.
Criteria and definitions used for the classification of hypersensitivity vasculitis (tree format)
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| Kawasaki syndrome [19] |
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50 yr
20 yr at disease