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Course of Patient-Reported Health Outcomes in Rheumatoid
Arthritis: Comparison of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Approaches
INES RUPP, HENDRIEK C. BOSHUIZEN, LEO D. ROORDA, HUIBERT J. DINANT, CATHARINA E. JACOBI, and GEERTRUDIS A.M. van den BOS
ABSTRACT. Methods. Data were collected with 4 series of questionnaires between 1997 and 2002 among patients with RA (maximum number = 882) of varying disease duration. The course of patient-reported health outcomes as a function of disease duration was evaluated using both longitudinal data and cross-sectional data of the first series. Results. The course of RA shows a different pattern for various health outcomes. We observed similar trends in health outcomes in this large patient sample using the longitudinal and the cross-sectional approach. Conclusion. Although longterm consequences of RA are preferably assessed in longer duration followup studies, cross-sectional studies, including patients with a broad range of disease durations, seem to provide fairly reliable estimates of the course of health outcomes. (J Rheumatol 2006; 33:228-33) Key Indexing Terms:
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
From the Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Supported by the Jan van Breemen Institute, the Dutch Arthritis Association (het Nationaal Reumafonds), and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development—Medical Sciences (ZonMw; grant 940-32-002). I. Rupp, MD; G.A.M. van den Bos, PhD, Professor of Social Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Center; H.C. Boshuizen, PhD, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven; L.D. Roorda, MD, PT, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Jan van Breemen Institute, Center for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Amsterdam; H.J. Dinant, MD, Jan van Breemen Institute, Center for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam; C.E. Jacobi, PhD, Department of Medical Decision Making, Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam. Address reprint requests to Dr. I. Rupp, Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: i.rupp@amc.uva.nl Accepted for publication September 12, 2005.
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