Clinical Interpretation and Cutoff Scores for ABILHAND Questionnaire in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Clinical Interpretation and Cutoff Scores for Manual Ability Measured by the ABILHAND Questionnaire in Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis

In individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, the most significant symptom is the loss of manual ability and function in the hands. In rheumatoid arthritis, where patient-reported assessment scales are frequently used, hand skills should be evaluated with an ideal questionnaire that best represents hand activities. The ABILHAND-RA questionnaire possesses all these features, being a short and easily fillable survey. The aim is to determine of clinically significant cutoff scores for perceived manual ability evaluated by ABILHAND corresponding to observed and perceived upper extremity assessments in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• People between the ages of 20-65, who were diagnosed with RA according to ACR criteria by the PAU Rheumatology clinic and who volunteered to participate in the study, will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with RA who have a neurological disease that may affect hand functions (peripheral nerve lesion, trauma, operation, cerebrovascular accident), a psychiatric disease that affects cooperation, heart failure and lung pathology that affect daily living activities, and those with other concurrent autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.