Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Measurement properties of the Polymyalgia Rheumatica Activity Score (PMR-AS): reliability, measurement error and discriminative validity
Authors' conclusion
The PMR-AS demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability and discriminative validity, supporting its use for classification of disease activity. However, its measurement error may limit interpretation of small intra-individual changes.
Study context
- Population
- PMR patients in routine care (April-August 2025); newly diagnosed PMR from two randomised trials (2019–2024, EULAR/ACR criteria positive) with two visits 2–4 weeks apart and no reported change in disease state124 inter-rater
- Primary endpoint
- Inter-rater and test-retest reliability, measurement error and discriminative validity of the PMR-AS
Methodological detailscross-sectional cohort and secondary analysis of two randomised trials, inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, routine care cohort, Five physicians scored the PMR-AS, two independently evaluating each patient at the same visit
- Cross-sectional cohort and secondary analysis of two randomised trials
- Inter-rater reliability
- Test-retest reliability
- Routine care cohort
- Five physicians scored the PMR-AS, two independently evaluating each patient at the same visit
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
- Inter-rater reliability, ICC
- 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.95)
- Test-retest reliability, ICC
- 0.66 (95% CI 0.38-0.82)
- Inter-rater measurement error, standard error of measurement (SEM)
- 2.46
- Inter-rater SDD
- 6.83
- Test-retest measurement error, SEM
- 2.07
- Test-retest SDC
- 5.75
- Discriminative validity, AUC
- 0.93
- Agreement between disease activity categories (PMR-AS <10 and ≥10), Cohen's kappa
- 0.69
Original publication
Measurement properties of the Polymyalgia Rheumatica Activity Score (PMR-AS): reliability, measurement error and discriminative validity. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 16 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →