title: A disease-specific activity score for Thromboangiitis obliterans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to find a disease-specific activity score for Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO).
  
  
  METHODS
  About 173 admission records from 125 patients with TAO over the period 2005-2011 were evaluated. The outcome of the patients was categorized as saved-limb or limb-loss. The risk of limb loss associated with each clinical sign or symptom and complete blood count (CBC) data were then assessed. This risk assessment value was multiplied by 100 to obtain the percentage risk, which was then considered to be the risk score. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for demonstrating cut-offs for each score. The reliability of the risk score was evaluated using a split-half reliability test. The divergent validity of the risk score was tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient between the total scores of the patients with and without limb loss.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The maximum possible clinical and CBC scores were 221 and 180, respectively, giving a maximum total score of 401. The cut-offs for clinical, laboratory and total score were 115, 75 and 213, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further cohort studies for evaluating the efficacy of different treatments for limb salvage of TAO patients based on these score are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahare
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fazeli
authors.affiliation: Vascular & Endovascular Research Center, Emamreza Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran ravarih@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ravari
mesh_terms: D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Buerger’s disease; Thromboangiitis obliterans; disease activity; vasculitis