Functional assessment of early rheumatoid arthritis.

A new performance index, SOFI (Signals of Functional Impairment), is described. This aims to detect functional impairment of different joints as early as possible. It comprises assessments of hand, arm and leg function. The assessment time is short and reliability is satisfactory. The index correlates significantly with range of motion, Ritchie index, grip strength, and the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index. The last mentioned was used in parallel with the new index to study 50 early RA patients. These were followed every 3-6 months for 1 year. Both indices seemed to fluctuate with changes in the patient's state.