title: Validity and reliability of the twenty-eight-joint count for the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the validity of the 28-joint count for assessment of joint involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Joint involvement as determined by the 28- and the 66/68-joint count was compared using data from 735 prospectively studied RA patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The joints included in the 28-joint count were more commonly involved than other joints, and findings from the 28-joint count correlated highly with those from the 66/68-joint count in all analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 28-joint count is a reliable and valid measure for joint assessment. It is easier to perform than the 66/68-joint count, and it addresses the joints that are critically involved.
authors: Second Department of Medicine, Lainz Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Smolen
authors: F C
authors: FC
authors: Breedveld
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Eberl
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Jones
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Leeming
authors: G L
authors: GL
authors: Wylie
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kirkpatrick
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004487:Edema / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results