RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Development and Testing of Reduced Joint Counts in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP 183 OP 190 DO 10.3899/jrheum.080432 VO 36 IS 1 A1 ANNA BAZSO A1 ALESSANDRO CONSOLARO A1 NICOLINO RUPERTO A1 ANGELA PISTORIO A1 STEFANIA VIOLA A1 SILVIA MAGNI-MANZONI A1 CLARA MALATTIA A1 ANTONELLA BUONCOMPAGNI A1 ANNA LOY A1 ALBERTO MARTINI A1 ANGELO RAVELLI A1 for the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization YR 2009 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/36/1/183.abstract AB Objective To develop and test reduced joint counts in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods Four reduced joint counts including 45, 35, 27, and 10 joints were devised by a panel of experienced pediatric rheumatologists, who selected the joints to be included based on the ease of technical assessment, functional relevance, and frequency of involvement. Three large samples of patients with JIA (total n = 4353) who had a detailed joint assessment available were used to develop and test reduced joint counts. Performance of reduced counts was examined by comparing their Spearman correlation with the standard (i.e., complete) joint count. Construct validity was evaluated by calculating Spearman correlation with other JIA outcome measures. Responsiveness to clinical change was determined through the standardized response mean (SRM). Results Spearman correlations of reduced joint counts with the whole joint count and with the other JIA outcome measures were comparable, revealing that they had similar ability to serve as surrogate for the whole joint count and construct validity. Responsiveness to clinical change was also comparable across reduced counts (SRM 0.83–1.09 for active joint counts and 0.63–0.81 for restricted joint counts). Based on these results and considering the relative feasibility of the different counts, the 27-joint reduced count is proposed for use in JIA. This joint count includes the cervical spine and the elbow, wrist, metacarpophalangeal (from first to third), proximal interphalangeal, hip, knee, and ankle joints. Conclusion Reduced joint counts appear to be as reliable as standard joint counts in assessment of the severity of joint disease and its change over time in children with JIA.