AB0417 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FREQUENCY OF GASTRO-INTESTINAL SYMPTOMS IN THE CLINICAL EVALUATION VERSUS WITH UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0
Authors: B. Samões, D. Fonseca, R. Vieira, T. Videira, A. Aleixo, P. Pinto, M. Guerra
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: It is estimated that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is involved in about 90% of patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). 1 The UCLA Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 (UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0) questionnaire has been validated in several countries as a useful tool in the assessment of GI symptoms in this pathology. 2 Objectives: To assess whether the application of the questionnaire has an added value in clinical practice by comparing the frequency of GI symptoms found during the clinical evaluation in the consultation vs. application of the questionnaire. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a cohort of patients with SSc. During the consultation, patients were asked about the presence of GI symptoms and the UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0 questionnaire was handed in for completion. Subgroups that analyse reflux, bloating, dirt, diarrhea and constipation were evaluated and their responses were transformed into dichotomous variables (present/absent). Clinical data was obtained and analysed. Results: 27 patients were included, most of them female [n = 23 (85.2%)], with an average age of 53.3 ± 13.5 years. All patients met the classification criteria of Leroy/Medsger of 2001 or ACR/EULAR of 2013: 14 (51.9%) had limited ES, 6 (22.2%) had Overlap Syndrome, 4 (14.8%) had diffuse ES and 3 (11.1%) had early SS. The prevalence of symptoms in all evaluated subgroups was higher in the questionnaire than in the clinical evaluation, with a statistically significant difference in the reflux subgroup [n = 16 (59.3%) vs. n = 13 (48.1%), p = 0.018]. In the remaining subgroups, this difference, although not statistically significant, was also found [abdominal distension n = 20 (74.2%) vs. n = 1 (3.7%), p = 1.0; dirt n = 2 (7.4%) vs. n = 0 (0%); diarrhea n = 22 (91.7%) vs. n = 3 (11.1%), p = 1.0; constipation n = 11 (40.7%) vs. n = 4 (14.8%), p = 0.273]. In the clinical evaluation, 12 patients said they were asymptomatic from the GI point of view, but all of them reported some GI symptoms when filling out the questionnaire. The subgroups in which the disagreement between the answers during the clinical evaluation and the filling out of the questionnaire were more frequent were distension [n = 19 (70.4%) and diarrhea [n = 19 (79.2%)]. Conclusion: The results of the present study reinforce the usefulness of the UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0 questionnaire, usually more applied in clinical trials, in clinical practice, concluding that it allows to find more GI symptoms in patients with SSc than the clinical evaluation in a consultation, this difference being statistically significant in the subgroup that evaluates reflux. The considerable difference found in the subgroups that assess symptoms of the low GI tract, such as diarrhea and constipation, although non statistical significant, may be due to the fact that the patient does not feel comfortable talking about it, a struggle that can be overcome with application of the questionnaire. On the other hand, this tool can also be a means of quantifying the severity of symptoms, monitoring their progress and making the consultation time more profitable. More studies with larger samples are needed to continue studying its role in clinical practice. References: [1]Kirby DF and Chatterjee. Evaluation and management of gastrointestinal manifestations in scleroderma. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2014, 26:621–629 [2]Pope J. Measures of Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma). Arthritis Care &amp; Research Vol. 63, No. S11, November 2011, pp S98–S111 Disclosure of Interests: None declared