The Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) as a valid alternative for measuring the functional capacity of people with haemophilia.
BACKGROUND
There are several scales for evaluating the functional capacity of people with haemophilia (PWH).


OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate the value and simplicity of the "Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index" (HAQ-DI) for making a functional assessment of PWH in those contexts in which the specific physical assessment scales cannot be used [Functional Independence Score in Haemophilia (FISH) and Haemophilia Activities List (HAL)]. The HAQ-DI is a validated generic self-administered questionnaire that is completed in <5min.


METHODS
Data was collected on the physical and functional status of 62 adult PWH having haemophilia. Their average age was 34.7 years. The impairment of the PWH was assessed using the generic self-administrable functionality questionnaire (HAQ-DI) and the following scales: The "World Federation of Haemophilia Physical Examination Score" (WFH-PES) and the Haemophilia Joint Health Score 2.1 (HJHS 2.1). We evaluated the correlation between generic HAQ-DI score and physical assessment scores WFH-PES, HJHS 2.1 (correlation analysis).


RESULTS
The correlation between WFH-PES and HAQ-DI showed a Spearman's correlation coefficient of r=0.804 (p<0.05). The correlation between HJHS 2.1 and HAQ-DI showed a Spearman's correlation coefficient of r=0.823 (p<0.05). A positive and fairly strong correlation was found between them.


CONCLUSIONS
The presented associations established the application of HAQ-DI as a PROXY clinical indicator of functional status. HAQ-DI is a valid alternative for assessing functional capacity in adult PWH, especially in cases in which, for some reason, it is not possible to use other tools that are specific for haemophilia. Clinical practice needs a less time demanding assessment tools.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Hortensia
H
De la Corte-Rodriguez
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: ecrmerchan@hotmail.com.
E Carlos
EC
Rodriguez-Merchan
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002836:Hemophilia B / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Functional capacity; HAQ-DI; Haemophilia; Measuring instruments