FRI0113 Validation and results of the symptoms in persons at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (SPARRA) questionnaire

Background A range of symptoms can be present in persons at risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, information on the nature, location, timing, severity and predictive value of these symptoms is largely lacking. The Symptoms in Persons At Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SPARRA) questionnaire has been developed with support from EULAR, informed by data from a qualitative study1 and with input from patient research partners. Objectives To test the psychometric properties of the SPARRA questionnaire in an international group of arthralgia patients at risk of RA and to quantify these symptoms. Methods The SPARRA questionnaire contains questions about presence, severity, impact and location of 13 symptoms. 240 individuals (69% rheumatoid factor and/or ACPA positive, 23% seronegative with clinically suspect arthralgia and 8% first degree family members of patients with RA) completed the questionnaire in the Netherlands (N=125), United Kingdom (N=70), Sweden (N=15), Austria (N=11) and Switzerland (N=19). Individuals had no history or presence of clinically diagnosed arthritis at the time of first physical examination. Reliability (test-retest) and validity (face, content and construct validity) were tested. Results Face validity was tested by a group of experts on the at-risk phase of RA and feedback on the questionnaire was asked and received from 30 arthralgia patients, leading to only minor comments. The test-retest within 7–14 days (N=51) showed moderate to good agreement (kappa mean 0.565, range 0.309–1; agreement mean 71%, range 59–100%). The content validity was high, in line with the fact that the items were derived from a qualitative study in seropositive arthralgia patients. In contrast, the construct validity (relation to visual analog scale scores (VAS) for pain and well-being) was low (R-square 0.040–0.199), suggesting that the questions measure different elements in different time frames and grasp symptom content not captured with regular VAS pain/well-being. Most symptoms were present in a high percentage of individuals, with pain, stiffness and fatigue as the most common ones. When a symptom was present, it was usually experienced as moderate to severe, and with moderate impact. ACPA positive individuals reported lower presence of symptoms then ACPA negative individuals (mean 47% for ACPA-positive (N=118), 41% for only RF positives (N=53) and 59% in seronegative individuals (N=69)), but functional impact was higher in ACPA positive individuals (51%, versus 42% in seronegatives, NS). Note that the inclusion criteria for the seronegative individuals was presence of symptoms. Conclusions This study provides evidence of good psychometric properties of the SPARRA questionnaire, except for low construct validity. This means the questionnaire adds information to currently available clinical measures in persons at risk of RA. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether SPARRA data can help to improve the prediction of RA. References Stack, Rheumatology 2014. Disclosure of Interest None declared