There is a paucity of data on the impact of chronic rheumatic diseases on functional
disability and overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Africans. Materials and
methods: We compared Black South Africans (BSA) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)(n= 50)
and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)(n= 50) to geographically and ethnically matched
controls cared for at a tertiary care facility. The modified health assessment questionnaire
(mHAQ) and Medical Outcome Study short-form 36 (SF-36) scores and indices of disease …

Background: The severity and predictors of functional disability and health-related quality of
life (HRQoL) in a cohort of South Africans with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were
investigated. Methods: Changes in the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index
(HAQ) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) following 12 months of traditional
disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were studied in previously DMARD-
naïve adults with disease duration≤ 2 years. Results: The majority of the 171 patients were …