Review of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Use in Psoriatic Arthritis

Abstract

The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), developed in 1979, is one of the original measurements of quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The HAQ has been utilized in several chronic rheumatologic diseases, including psoriatic arthritis. While the HAQ was validated for use in a psoriatic arthritis population, it has been mostly studied in populations with psoriatic arthritis and mild psoriasis. Its use in psoriatic arthritis with moderate to severe psoriasis has raised concerns due to the differences in disease characteristics, including the higher impact of psychosocial factors. Additionally, the HAQ does not assess treatment and disease factors specific to psoriasis patients. Nevertheless, the HAQ is a valuable assessment tool, evidenced by more than 30 years of use in more than 100,000 studies, and its easy-to-implement format; however, its use as the sole outcome measure for psoriatic arthritis severity is discouraged and practitioners should develop an understanding of its shortcomings.