TY - JOUR
T1 - Activity, damage and outcome in systemic vasculitis
AU - Carruthers, David
AU - Bacon, Paul
PY - 2001/6/1
Y1 - 2001/6/1
N2 - Current therapy has transformed the prognosis of the systemic vasculitides from diseases that had a high acute mortality rate to chronic relapsing diseases with high rates of morbidity. This improved survival has highlighted the need for better methods of monitoring disease activity and recording the accumulation of organ damage that occurs during the course of the disease. Several clinical indices have been developed that record disease activity, damage and the extent of disease. These validated indices allow a detailed assessment of the patient's response to therapy and provide an essential tool for insuring uniformity of patient monitoring in multi-centre trials. In addition, more data are now available supporting the use of these assessment tools as prognostic and outcome criteria for clinical studies. The development, properties, application and inter-relationships of the available clinical assessment tools for patients with systemic vasculitis are reviewed in this chapter.
AB - Current therapy has transformed the prognosis of the systemic vasculitides from diseases that had a high acute mortality rate to chronic relapsing diseases with high rates of morbidity. This improved survival has highlighted the need for better methods of monitoring disease activity and recording the accumulation of organ damage that occurs during the course of the disease. Several clinical indices have been developed that record disease activity, damage and the extent of disease. These validated indices allow a detailed assessment of the patient's response to therapy and provide an essential tool for insuring uniformity of patient monitoring in multi-centre trials. In addition, more data are now available supporting the use of these assessment tools as prognostic and outcome criteria for clinical studies. The development, properties, application and inter-relationships of the available clinical assessment tools for patients with systemic vasculitis are reviewed in this chapter.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034988996&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1053/berh.2000.0141
DO - 10.1053/berh.2000.0141
M3 - Article
C2 - 11469819
SN - 1532-1770
VL - 15
SP - 225
EP - 238
JO - Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology
JF - Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology
IS - 2
ER -