Effect of psoriatic arthritis according to the affected categories of the international classification of functioning, disability and health.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) checklist and core sets of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis frequently occurring in people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and to compare the number of such categories with scores on self-report measures of participation restrictions and activity limitations.
METHODS: Data were collected from 94 patients with PsA attending rheumatology clinics in 6 centers. For each ICF category affected by PsA in at least 30% of patients, the percentage of such patients was determined for Body Structures, Body Functions, Activities and Participation, and Environmental Factors. A count of all affected categories by ICF chapter was compared to patient self-report scores on a number of functional and health status instruments using Spearman's correlation.
RESULTS: There were 25 categories in the Body Functions section, 6 categories in the Body Structures section, and 51 categories in the Activities and Participation section that were relevant in at least 30% of participants. Thirteen Environmental Factors were facilitating and 1 Environmental Factor (climate) was a barrier in at least 30% of participants. The number of involved Activities and Participation categories by chapter did not correlate in predictable ways with self-report measures of participation restrictions and activity limitations.
CONCLUSION: PsA is associated with a wide range of impairments, limitations, and restrictions across the ICF categories. People with PsA find environmental factors to be helpful more often than to be barriers. The unexpected pattern of correlation between ICF chapters and self-report measures suggests the need for a better way of quantitatively representing the ICF concepts.