AB1539-HPR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASAS HEALTH INDEX AND DISEASE-SPECIFIC INDICES AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS IN PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
Authors: Y. Acar, N. Ilcin, İ. Sari
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Assessment of multifaceted disease processes is a key element in the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). There are several validated tools for the assessment of AS that are frequently used in clinical trials. However, these tools generally focus on one aspect of the disease and do not assess global function and health. Therefore, Assessments of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) developed the ASAS Health Index (HI), based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for AS, to assess overall global functioning and health [1]. Since ASAS HI is a novel tool, data on its use in clinical research and clinical practice are limited. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the performance of ASAS HI in clinical practice for different cultures and to examine its relationship with other tools. <h3>Objectives:</h3> To investigate the performance of the ASAS HI in clinical practice and the relationship between the ASAS HI and disease-specific indices and psychosocial status. <h3>Methods:</h3> 60 patients with AS (34 men, 26 women) were included in this study. Clinical and demographic data were recorded. The ASAS HI was used as the main outcome. The ASAS HI includes 17 items addressing categories of pain, emotional functions, sleep, sexual function, mobility, self-care and community life. The total ASAS HI score ranges from 0 to 17, with a lower score indicating better health status. Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath AS Patient Global Score (BAS-G) were used to assess disease activity. Functional capacity was assessed using the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI). Bath AS Spinal Metrology Index (BASMI) was used to measure spinal mobility. Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and quality of life was measured with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess depression and anxiety, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess stress. Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the ASAS HI and the study variables. Statistical significance value was accepted as p &lt; 0.05. <h3>Results:</h3> The mean age of the patients was 42.65±8.8 years, the mean weight was 78.01± 14.8 kg, the mean height was 1.7± 0.1 m and the mean disease duration was 11.75±7.4 years. 10 patients were not using medication, 6 patients were using only analgesic, 14 patients were using NSAIDs, and 30 patients were receiving biological treatment. The average ASAS HI score of the patients was 6.07±2.9. The mean value of BASDAI was 2.98±1.9, the mean value of BAS-G was 3.68±2.1, the mean value of BASFI was 2.05±1.7 and the mean value of BASMI was 1.82±1.5. The mean PSQI, HADS-Depression, HADS-Anxiety and PSS scores were 7.7, 5.9, 7.3 and 23.9, respectively. ASAS HI had a significant moderate positive correlation with BASFI (r=437), HADS-Depression (r=0.501) and PSS (r=0.504). ASAS HI had a significant weak positive correlation with BASDAI (r=0.391), BAS-G (r=0.345), HADS-Anxiety (r=0.343) and weight (r=0.274). There was a significant negative moderate correlation between ASAS HI and SF-36 Vitality (r=0.642), SF-36 Physical Functioning (r=0.593), SF-36 General Health (r=0.585), SF-36 Mental Health (r=0.581), SF-36 Physical Role Functioning (r=0.488), SF-36 Social Functioning (r=0.475) and SF-36 Bodily Pain (r=0.445). No significant correlation was found between ASAS Health HI and age, height, disease duration, BASMI and PSQI. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> In our study, we concluded that the ASAS HI is particularly associated with function, depression, stress and quality of life. This study provides new information regarding the relationship between the ASAS-HI and emotional state and quality of life in patients with AS. ASAS HI is a useful tool that is easy to apply in daily clinical practice. In particular, it can be used to evaluate the multifaceted impact of AS on a person's daily life and psychosocial status. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] Kiltz, U., et al., <i>Development of a health index in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (ASAS HI): final result of a global initiative based on the ICF guided by ASAS.</i> Ann Rheum Dis, 2015. 74(5): p. 830-835. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared.</b>