Quality of life assessment with the MOS-SF36 in patients with systemic sclerosis

Objective- To investigate the metric properties and the validity of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36), a questionnaire to assess the quality of life, in patients with either diffuse or limited systemic sclerosis (SS), and to examine the effect of the disease on quality of life. Methods- Cross sectional study of 86 patients with a SS (64 diffuse SS, 22 limited SS). Disease severity was assessed by clinical examination, pulmonary functional tests and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) modified for scleroderma. Results- The SF-36 scores values were lower in diffuse than in limited sclerodermie systemique. The Physical Component Score was worse in patients with than without any clinical involvement. This score increased in relation with the number of clinical involvements. The quality of life of patients with SS was correlated to its functional repercussion. Conclusion- The quality of life in SS patients is correlated with the clinical severity of the disease. The use of SF-36 to measure the quality of life is useful for the clinical evaluation of patients with SS. (C) 2003 Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.