title: Validity of self-reported rheumatoid arthritis in elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the validity of a self-reported physician diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with self-reported RA were contacted and permission requested to contact their physician. Physicians were mailed a questionnaire requesting information on the subject's arthritic condition. Hand radiographs obtained at study entry were read for changes of RA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The self-reported diagnosis of RA could be confirmed in 26 (21%) individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The positive predictive value of self-reported RA was low in this cohort. Caution needs to be exercised in the use and interpretation of self-report data concerning arthritic conditions in epidemiologic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Star
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherwin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nevitt
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hochberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016353:Self-Examination; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires