Assessing disease activity in ulcerative colitis: patients or their physicians?
BACKGROUND
We aimed to determine the optimal approach to assess disease activity (i.e., biological inflammation) in ulcerative colitis (UC) by comparing patients' and physicians' rating of the disease.


METHODS
This was a prospective, multicenter, double-cohort study. The first cohort was composed of 94 children with UC (parent proxy when required) and their physicians who provided independent clinical report and global assessment of disease, rated on a 100 mm visual analog scale. Constructs of disease activity (including mucosal inflammation, laboratory tests, Mayo score, and the Pediatric UC Activity Index), were scored by an independent blinded physician and used to compare validity of the assessment. Of the 94 children, 43 were seen at a follow-up visit and provided a global rating of change in disease activity. To ascertain whether age influences assessment accuracy, a second cohort of 86 adult UC patients were analyzed in a similar way.


RESULTS
In both cohorts the physician global assessment had higher correlations with all constructs of disease activity than did the patient' global assessment (for colonoscopic score r = 0.76 vs. r = 0.29, P = 0.002). Even with abdominal pain, a subjective item, the physician's rating had higher correlation than the patient's rating. Similarly, the physician rating of change better reflected change in disease activity than that of the patient rating.


CONCLUSIONS
For indirect measurement of biological activity on the basis of symptoms and signs, clinician assessments are superior to those of patients. Patient assessments, physician assessments, and direct measurement of disease activity provide complementary information in clinical research.
Turner
Dan
D
Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. turnerd@szmc.org.il
Griffiths
Anne M
AM
Mack
David
D
Otley
Anthony R
AR
Seow
Cynthia H
CH
Steinhart
A Hillary
AH
Silverberg
Mark S
MS
Hyams
Jeffrey
J
Guyatt
Gordon H
GH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult