Table 3.

Summary of outcomes measured by domain.

DomainNo. Studies Assessing This Domain, n (%)Most Frequent Instrument Used (no. studies)Other Instruments Used (no. studies)
Laboratory markers of inflammation43/46 (93)ESR/CRP (42)

  • IL-6 (10)

  • Fibrinogen (6)

  • TNF-α (1)

Pain32/46 (70)VAS (29)

  • NRS (2)

  • Physician assessment of pain (1)

  • Pain site manikins (2)

Stiffness28/46 (63)Morning stiffness duration in minutes (26)

  • Stiffness severity VAS/NRS (4)

  • Physician assessment of stiffness (1)

  • Stiffness site manikins (2)

Physical function22/46 (48)Elevation of upper limbs on 0–3 scale (13)

  • HAQ (12)

  • SF-36 physical component36 (3)

  • American Rheumatism Association functional class assessment37 (1)

Global assessment/disease activity21/46 (46)PMR-AS (13)

  • PGA (6)

  • PtGA (9)

Imaging9/46 (2)Ultrasound (6)

  • MRI (3)

  • FDG PET-CT (2)

Other
    Physical examination, presence of synovitis, fever, or weight loss10
    No. relapses, duration of treatment, or cumulative steroid dose7
    Other blood variables (e.g., FBC, HbA1c, ACTH/cortisol)17
    Fatigue6VAS (4)

  • NRS (1)

  • Time to onset of fatigue for daily chores (1)

    Health status5Unspecified questionnaire/VAS (4)Back-to-normal question (1)
    Mood/anxiety1GAD-738 (1) PHQ-839 (1)

  • OMERACT core set domains in bold. CRP: C-reactive protein; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FBC: full blood count; FDG-PET CT: fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography; GAD-7: Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; IL: interleukin; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; NRS: numeric rating scale; PGA: physician global assessment; PHQ-8: Patient Health Questionnaire-8; PMR-AS: Polymyalgia Rheumatica Activity Score; PtGA: patient global assessment; SF-36: 36-item Short Form Health Survey; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; VAS: visual analog scale.