title: Scores for all seasons: SDAI and CDAI.
abstract: Disease activity assessment is one of the most pivotal aspects in the care of RA patients. Composite measures of disease activity are superior to individual measures, since they capture the multiple facets of the disease. Since swollen joint counts correlate with joint damage progression and tender joint counts with physical function, composite scores that include joint counts are preferable. The simplified and clinical disease activity indices (SDAI, CDAI) are easy to calculate and correlate well with joint damage and physical function. Cutpoints for disease activity states have been established and improvement criteria likewise. The SDAI and CDAI remission criteria (ACR-EULAR index-based remission) are stringent, usually associated with a halt of progression of damage and optimisation of physical function and can still be achieved in 1 of 4 clinic patients and up to one third of patients in trials of early arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine 3, Medical University of Vienna, and 2nd Department of Medicine-Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Hietzing Hospital Vienna, Austria. josef.smolen@wienkav.at.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Smolen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aletaha
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012074:Remission Induction; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome