Aim: To determine whether the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement Index (ECLAM) can be used to evaluate disease activity in patients retrospectively from the data provided in their clinical charts.
Methods: The ECLAM score was calculated twice in a series of 64 consecutive SLE patients: first for each patient during the course of a standard clinical evaluation (direct-ECLAM), and then one to two weeks later solely on the basis of the data provided in the patient's clinical chart (chart-ECLAM). The scorings for each patient were performed by two different assessors.
Results: The direct-ECLAM and chart-ECLAM scores were highly correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.86). The regression line was not significantly different from the identity line (t-test). The Pearson's coefficient was 0.88. The interobserver variability of the chart-ECLAM showed a low inter-rater variability.
Conclusion: ECLAM could represent a valid and reliable instrument for the retrospective analysis of disease activity in SLE patients.
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