TY - JOUR
T1 - Validation of the classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis
AU - Quartuccio, Luca
AU - Isola, Miriam
AU - Corazza, Laura
AU - Ramos-Casals, Manuel
AU - Retamozo, Soledad
AU - Ragab, Gaafar M ohamed
AU - Zoheir, Mostafa N aguib
AU - El-Menyawi, Manal A bdel Moneim
AU - Salem, Mohamed N abil
AU - Sansonno, Domenico
AU - Ferraccioli, Gianfranco
AU - Gremese, Elisa
AU - Tzioufas, Athanasios
AU - Voulgarelis, Michael
AU - Vassilopoulos, Dimitris
AU - Scarpato, Salvatore
AU - Pipitone, Nicolò
AU - Salvarani, Carlo
AU - Guillevin, Loic
AU - Terrier, Benjamin
AU - Cacoub, Patrice
AU - Filippini, Davide
AU - Saccardo, Francesco
AU - Gabrielli, Armando
AU - Fraticelli, Paolo
AU - Sebastiani, Marco
AU - Tomsic, Matija
AU - Tavoni, Antonio
AU - Mazzaro, Cesare
AU - Pioltelli, Pietro
AU - Nishimoto, Norihiro
AU - Scaini, Patrizia
AU - Zignego, Anna L inda
AU - Ferri, Clodoveo
AU - Monti, Giuseppe
AU - Pietrogrande, Maurizio
AU - Bombardieri, Stefano
AU - Galli, Massimo
AU - De Vita, Salvatore
PY - 2014/12/1
Y1 - 2014/12/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate the classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV).METHODS: Twenty-three centres were involved. New patients with CV (group A) and controls, i.e. subjects with serum cryoglobulins but lacking CV based on the gold standard of clinical judgment (group B) and subjects without cryoglobulins but with clinical features that can be observed in the course of CV (group C), were studied. Positivity of serum cryoglobulins was necessary for CV classification. Sensitivity and specificity of the criteria were calculated by comparing group A vs group B. The group A vs group C comparison was done to demonstrate the possible diagnostic utility of the criteria.RESULTS: The study included 268 patients in group A, 182 controls in group B and 193 controls in group C (small vessel vasculitis, 51.8%). The questionnaire (at least 2/3 positive answers) showed 89.0% sensitivity and 93.4% specificity; the clinical item (at least 3/4 clinical involvement) showed 75.7% sensitivity and 89.0% specificity and the laboratory item (at least 2/3 laboratory data) showed 80.2% sensitivity and 62.4% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity of the classification criteria (at least 2/3 positive items) were 89.9% and 93.5%, respectively. The comparison of group A with group C demonstrated the clinical utility of the criteria in differentiating CV from CV mimickers.CONCLUSION: Classification criteria for CV were validated in a second, large, international study confirming good sensitivity and specificity in a complex systemic disease.
AB - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate the classification criteria for cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV).METHODS: Twenty-three centres were involved. New patients with CV (group A) and controls, i.e. subjects with serum cryoglobulins but lacking CV based on the gold standard of clinical judgment (group B) and subjects without cryoglobulins but with clinical features that can be observed in the course of CV (group C), were studied. Positivity of serum cryoglobulins was necessary for CV classification. Sensitivity and specificity of the criteria were calculated by comparing group A vs group B. The group A vs group C comparison was done to demonstrate the possible diagnostic utility of the criteria.RESULTS: The study included 268 patients in group A, 182 controls in group B and 193 controls in group C (small vessel vasculitis, 51.8%). The questionnaire (at least 2/3 positive answers) showed 89.0% sensitivity and 93.4% specificity; the clinical item (at least 3/4 clinical involvement) showed 75.7% sensitivity and 89.0% specificity and the laboratory item (at least 2/3 laboratory data) showed 80.2% sensitivity and 62.4% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity of the classification criteria (at least 2/3 positive items) were 89.9% and 93.5%, respectively. The comparison of group A with group C demonstrated the clinical utility of the criteria in differentiating CV from CV mimickers.CONCLUSION: Classification criteria for CV were validated in a second, large, international study confirming good sensitivity and specificity in a complex systemic disease.
KW - classification
KW - cryoglobulinaemia
KW - hepatitis C
KW - vasculitis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84910138473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84910138473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/rheumatology/keu271
DO - 10.1093/rheumatology/keu271
M3 - Article
C2 - 24994905
AN - SCOPUS:84910138473
VL - 53
SP - 2209
EP - 2213
JO - Rheumatology
JF - Rheumatology
SN - 1462-0324
IS - 12
ER -