Evaluation of Patient and Physician Assessments of Gastrointestinal Disease Activity in Systemic Sclerosis

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether patient and physician global assessment of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disease in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are associated with a meaningful change in disease status.

Methods: One hundred forty-three participants from the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study were recruited to this study. Using logistic regression analysis, we evaluated the relationship between patient-reported and physician-assessed GIT disease status and symptoms, measures of health-related quality of life (36-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]) and GIT disease severity, measured by the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium UCLA Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 (GIT 2.0) score.

Results: Patient-reported worsening of GIT symptoms in the month preceding assessment was significantly associated with more severe GIT disease (odds ratio [OR] 6.14, P < 0.01) and progressive worsening GIT disease severity as measured by the GIT 2.0 score (OR 45.98, P < 0.01). The new onset of reflux was the only specific symptom associated with patient-reported GIT disease activity (OR 2.98, P = 0.04). Physician-assessed GIT disease activity was not significantly associated with higher GIT 2.0 scores or increasing severity of disease. Patient-reported and physician-assessed GIT activity was not associated with SF-36 scores.

Conclusion: In the absence of objective measures of GIT disease activity in SSc, patient-reported symptoms of GIT disease could be used to indicate disease activity and should merit consideration for inclusion in a multisystem disease activity index.

Keywords: disease activity; gastrointestinal; patient-reported outcomes; systemic sclerosis.